<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Juza in Candy Land by Jaspen</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29886678">Juza in Candy Land</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaspen/pseuds/Jaspen'>Jaspen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A3! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A3! Big Bang, Candy Land, F/M, Gen, I'm tagging everyone as they appear if they speak, Implied Suicide Attempt, Isekai, M/M, Muku and Juza go on a road trip, but this mostly focuses on Juza and Muku, is juza awake? is he dreaming?? we just don't know, that one might be over-tagging but better safe than sorry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:49:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,953</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29886678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaspen/pseuds/Jaspen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This wasn't right. He was supposed to be back at the dorms, wasn't he? The past two days were easy enough to remember, but this was all just a dream. It had to be. Maybe it was easier to remember because he was still in the dream itself.</p><p>There was a newspaper on the kitchen table when he finally composed himself enough to walk downstairs. Across the top in an easy-to-read script read <i>The Candy Land Inquirer</i>.</p><p>"Juchan?"</p><p>"This is a dream, and I can't go back to Mankai until I reach the end of the board."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hyoudou Juuza &amp; Sakisaka Muku</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A3! Big Bang 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. How to Tell if You're Dreaming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Before anything else, Juza realized that wherever he was waking up, it wasn't his dorm room. It felt like he'd fallen asleep on the couch for one thing, and neither was Settsu grumbling at him to turn off his alarm, nor was he sleeping through Juza's morning routine. Instead, he was greeted with softly flipped pages and quiet conversation from a room or two over. His bed also wasn't this soft, not by a long shot, so it didn't really surprise him all that much when the familiar spackle of his dorm room ceiling was not the first thing he saw.</p>
<p>What he wasn't expecting was to see varying shades of faded cyan and white covering just about everything in the room. Wherever he was, he could see his cousin feeling at home here. The bed bounced a bit as he got up; not like a water bed, but definitely more than a regular mattress would. Strange.</p>
<p>The rest of the house followed the same color scheme all the way through the living room and down the hall with several pieces of furniture being brighter in tone and, well... he wasn't sure if it was weirder that the furniture all looked like it was made out of frosted gumdrops, or that he was noticing it in the first place. The table was similar, the glass looking more like translucent hard candy than anything. <em> Everything </em> looked like it was made of candy now that he thought about it.</p>
<p>He heard the ding of a shop bell as he descended the stairs, finding the same type of decor in pastel shades of pink and cream. The bookshelves that lined the walls looked like they were made of peppermint, as did the desk that Muku sat at. There was some sort of mutant PEZ dispenser where he would expect maybe a cash register? This <em> had </em> to be a dream. Some of those shelves looked like gingerbread.</p>
<p>"Juchan!" It didn't take long for Muku to notice him. One wayward step on a creaky part of the stairs and his cousin was up and in his business. "How are you feeling? Let me see your head."</p>
<p>Juza bent over and allowed his cousin to fuss. He got into enough fights and lived close enough to his family that this was all par for the course, even if he rarely sustained anything rougher than a busted-up knuckle or two. Except that he jerked when Muku pressed a spot on his head nearly dead center at the back of his skull.</p>
<p>"M'fine," he murmured, reaching up to press at the spot. Had he gotten hit? Did something fall on him?</p>
<p>"Are you sure? That bump is pretty big..." Muku was worried, but Juza had other things on his mind.</p>
<p>"Where..." He looked around some more, catching the outside scenery. Were those Mike &amp; Ikes hanging from those trees? And Lemonheads? "Where are we?"</p>
<p>"We're at Bite-Sized Books, Juchan." Muku guided him over to a little reading nook and what turned out to be a really comfortable chair. He could probably fall asleep in it if he wasn't careful. "Don't you remember? You said you'd come and help me catalog our new inventory while Kyuchan gets over his cold."</p>
<p>"The last thing I remember was..." He had to think a bit past the haze, but he could remember Settsu's goading clearly. Had Omi broken them up this time, or was it Tsuzuru? "It was game night. We were all in the living room, and Settsu kept tryin’ to get me to fight him over St. James Place."</p>
<p>"Settsu?" There was no recognition in Muku's eyes. "I didn't know you had made a new friend, Juchan. I understand why you wouldn't tell me, but I'm glad. It sounds like you're having fun!"</p>
<p>Well, if <em> that </em> was Muku's reaction, this had to be a dream. His cousin talked to Settsu pretty regularly, and lying wasn’t something he was really comfortable with.</p>
<p>"Right," He murmured, taking a look around the room. Everything in here looked to be made of candy too, which was a great choice by his subconscious. "So, where are these books you need help with?"</p>
<p>The new books were all piled on the varying tables around the shop. Writing down the book titles, the section, placing a cardholder on the inside covers of the permanent stock—it was all very tame for one of his dreams, but it was definitely something he could see himself doing if Muku asked him for the help. It also gave him time to think about how easily the details of this world were sticking out in his mind. What was it called when you're in a dream you can control everything in, free dreaming? Rancid? No, not that... It hadn't sounded easy to do when Azuma had talked about it, but he didn't know what else this could be.</p>
<p>He spent the day cataloging Muku's books and delivering them to their respective shelves. They had dinner and went to bed, and he fully expected to wake up back at Mankai with a weird dream he could tell his family about.</p>
<p>Except that he didn't. He was still in the guest room Muku had let him stay in, and when he headed downstairs, Muku was yawning over a morning cup of chocolate milk.</p>
<p>This wasn't right. He was supposed to be back at the dorms, wasn't he? The past two days were easy enough to remember—far too easy to have been just a dream, but it <em> was </em> a dream. It had to be. Maybe it was easier because he was still in the dream itself.</p>
<p>"Good Morning, Juchan!" Muku smiled over his mug. The sun was still rising, and if Juza wasn't in the middle of a crisis, he'd probably have smiled back. "Would you be willing to help out again today? I really appreciate all that you did for me yesterday."</p>
<p>"Sure." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. It was fine, it would all be fine. He'd help Muku shelve the books today, go to sleep, and he'd wake up back in his dorm, probably to Settsu snoring or something equally as annoying.</p>
<p>Despite the butterflies simmering away in his gut, Juza put all of his focus into shelving the books correctly. There was a time or two when someone would come in, and Muku would dash away to help them find what they were looking for, but all in all, it was slow work. Not that he was trying to go too fast—he had to stretch it out so that he could stay one more night. There was no telling what would happen if he was set free into this world to go someplace he didn't know. </p>
<p>Juza didn't talk much at all but let Muku go on about whatever shojo he was currently obsessed with. It was a bite of normalcy in the candy-coated landscape that he had found himself in. A normalcy that led to another late night, another unnecessary apology, and another evening sinking into the puffy bed he'd woken up to.</p>
<p>On the third day, the worry had started to set in. He couldn't be doing this, he had rehearsal! And school! There wasn't enough time in the day for him to also be running through some weird, unending dream!</p>
<p>There was a newspaper on the kitchen table when he finally composed himself enough to walk down the stairs. Across the top in an easy-to-read script was <em> The Candy Land Inquirer </em>.</p>
<p><em> Ah </em>.</p>
<p>"Juchan?" Muku was leaning against the counter, a box of cereal in his hands that looked a little less sugary than the kind he and Kumon would normally eat. "Is something the matter?"</p>
<p>"Just lookin' at the news." He motioned to the upside-down paper, easily recognizing the Candy Castle from the cover photo now that he knew to look for it.</p>
<p>"Ah, you mean the Sweet Treats Festival?" Muku sighed in that lovestruck way he did when he was reading something particularly romantic. "Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it? It used to be on the Queen's birthday. I've always wanted to go, but that sort of thing isn't for a stupid piece of trash garbage good for nothing like me—"</p>
<p>"Will the king be there?"</p>
<p>"Huh?" Juza could see the second that the question caught up to his cousin. "Oh, um—yes! Yes, he will be. It'll be the anniversary of his coronation, so I think it would make more sense for him to be there than not."</p>
<p>"We should go." It was the only other course of action he could think of. Once you finish the game, it's over, so maybe if he got to the castle, the dream would be over too.</p>
<p>"Of course! You should absolutely go, Juchan, absolutely. Oh, but I can't, I have to organize my books... and watch the shop! And, and it's just not the kind of thing I should—"</p>
<p>"Muku, stop." He took the box of cereal from his cousin and pulled a bowl down from one of the cabinets. "You're worth just as much as anybody else. If you wanna go, you should. And also..." Juza wasn't quite sure how to word this next part. Were there rules to letting a dream–version of your cousin know that was what he was?</p>
<p>"Juchan?"</p>
<p>"And also this is a dream, and I can't go back to Mankai until I reach the end of the board."</p>
<p>There wasn't a lot to explain, but he did his best. This was a dream; a dream he had been in for far too long and needed to wake up from. If he reached King Candy's castle, he'd probably be able to wake up and get back to rehearsal, and homework, and all the other things he had going on in his life. Muku was quiet for a long moment after that. Juza wasn't really sure what to say, so he poked at his cereal and hoped that Muku would go along with him. He could follow the candy path, sure—but he knew how he could get better than anyone, and having Muku around always kept him focused on staying out of trouble.</p>
<p>He was startled by Muku pushing his chair back and hurrying up the stairs. There was the general sound of ransacking, and a moment later his cousin returned holding two backpacks.</p>
<p>"Muku?"</p>
<p>"You're not good at lying, Juchan," Muku said as he rummaged through his cabinets, tossing in packages of snacks and easy to travel with foods. "At least, I've always been able to tell when you were trying to. What you're saying doesn't sound real, but I know that you believe it; and I can't think of anyone around here who would be able to help with this." He set one of the backpacks in front of Juza, and smiled. It was nearly full of what looked to be a change of clothes and other necessities. "So if I have to take you to the castle, I will. I won't be a very good guide, but you said I should come with you, so I'll do it."</p>
<p>They left just as soon as their bags were packed, stepping out into the cool, mid-morning air.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Happy A!3 Big Bang, everyone! I'm really glad I got to be part of this project, and I can't wait for this to be put up in full!</p>
<p>Xiruo made the wonderful piece! Go kudos and comment on it <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/A3BigBang2021/works/29934903">over here</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/no_xiruo">visit them on twitter</a>!!</p>
<p>Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Gingerbread Plum Pie Problem</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Neither Juza nor Muku had a map in their possession, but the game board had been seared into Juza's mind after long nights of his childhood consisting of repeated rounds between him and his family. Sometimes, before moving into the dorms, Kumon would pull out the board to help cheer his brother up after a particularly long day of school.</p><p>Their first target was Rainbow Bridge. If this place really matched the game board, then it should be the first noticeable landmark they encountered. It would cut a lot of walking out, too; the sooner he could get out of his own head, the better. The path itself reminded him of crumbled and packed shortbread, especially with all of the candy and sweets dotting the greenery around him. It made him consider the grass itself; was it also candy? He didn't know enough about the subject to be able to say for sure—and he wasn't quite ready to eat a blade or two just to find out.</p><p>Maybe later, though.</p><p>"There it is!" Juza looked in the direction Muku was pointing to see two obelisks of Smarties topped with gumballs. Swirls of candy sugar connected the two at an arch, and the path ahead glimmered, multi-colored and translucent.</p><p>"Rainbow Bridge was the first of the three to be rebuilt," Muku said. Juza tapped the toe of his shoe to the path to test it. It sure <em> felt </em> sturdy enough... did it just flicker? Or was that the light glimmering off the sugar crystals? Maybe flickering was normal. "The Fizzy River leads into the mountains, so one of our past Queens commissioned it so she could come and visit those of us who live on the outskirts of the Kingdom."</p><p>"I'll go first." He said that, but Juza still took a minute to psyche himself out for this. He couldn't help the feeling that he was stepping off a cliff.</p><p>With a huff, he took one step, and was fine. Then he took another, and he was still fine. It was on step three that the rainbow flickered for sure this time and vanished beneath him with a woosh.</p><p>It took him a moment to register that he was not, in fact, falling. At least, not anymore.</p><p>"Hold on, Juchan!" Muku had both hands on his wrist, his voice barely distinguishable over the sound of the river crashing over jagged spires of rock candy so much closer than they had been a second ago. His cousin's grip was tight and unyielding, and Juza took one look at Muku doing his best to hold onto him and the archway with only his legs and got to work finding a foothold.</p><p>The reality of what almost happened didn't really hit until he was back on solid ground, the both of them breathing heavy and looking at the empty stretch of chasm before them. "I don't understand." Muku's concern seeped out between his breaths. "The bridge has never done this before, I use it all the time..."</p><p>"You okay?"</p><p>"Am I—Juchan!" Muku's voice was never so loud unless he was projecting for a play. Was he angry? He started to fuss; checking Juza over for injury, taking a look at the wrist he'd grabbed and the dirt under his cousin’s fingernails. "I should be asking <em> you </em> that."</p><p>"M'fine." He was used to being fussed over, but it still flustered him. Juza was just glad his cousin never called him out on it. He tried to ignore the sound of the rapids roaring in his ears, even when they were so far below him. "Maybe stay away from bridges for now."</p><p>Muku helped him up, though he didn't need it, and readjusted the weight of his backpack. "Let's get going, then. If Rainbow's not safe, we're going to be on the road for a lot longer than we first thought."</p><p>-----</p><p>With the bridge out of commission, their next chance for a shortcut was Gumdrop pass. It wouldn't cut out a whole lot of time, but it would shave off an estimated day or two trying to hike through the mountains. But until then, they would be sticking to the path, and Muku wanted to take a quick stop at the tree farm up ahead. They wouldn't need to stay long, but Muku said it would be a good place to gather their thoughts after the scare they just had. Juza told him he could go longer—sure, the drop had spooked him, he was fine—but there wasn't anything like a near crisis to get Muku to put his foot down.</p><p>The landscape before them contained a multitude of stiff–looking trees with plump, purple fruit hanging from the branches. The warm smell of cinnamon permeated the air the further in they went, and Juza was wondering what Plumpy would look like now that he wasn't a two-dimensional drawing on a game board. Would he come up to Muku's knees? He would probably come up to Muku's knees.</p><p>"Here we are!" Juza could hear Muku's relief as he walked with purpose towards the Dutch door of the small caravan before them. The top half was open so that sweet, fruity smells could waft from inside the cart. "Hello!" Muku knocked lightly on the wood, peering inside as far as he dared. "Hello? Is anyone there?"</p><p>"We hear you!"</p><p>"Come in a circle, we are on the other side of the office!"</p><p>There were a couple of chairs and tables set up on the other side of the caravan, the kind that made Juza think of those small cafes with outside seating. While unexpected, what really threw him off was Kazunari and Citron, both dressed in bright green and sitting at one of said tables with several empty pie tins stacked up between them. Citron's plate had been cleaned long ago, the remnants of cooked plums the only evidence there had been food there in the first place. Kazunari waved at them with a smile before going back to his own perfectly cut slice of pie. A fork and knife were placed artfully so that they leaned off one side of the plate, while a couple of plums and a lemon were piled up in a lopsided manner on the other.</p><p>"Hail and well met, my supplement!" Citron said as he stood, arms wide open before he pulled Muku in for a hug.</p><p>"Supplement?" Juza asked as Citron came at him for the same.</p><p>"I think he's calling us 'friends'..."</p><p>"Oh, totes!" Kazunari was next on the hug train, practically picking Muku up and spinning him around. "Mukkun, you came to visit! And you brought Hyodle!"</p><p>"It is long since we have had company!" Citron bustled back to the cart so that he could return with what looked like a freshly baked pie. "Sit, sit! Enjoy the wonders of the gingerbread plums!"</p><p>"Are you sure?" Muku asked, but Juza was already taking a seat. He'd wanted to taste a gingerbread plum since he was four-and-a-half years old, and baking it into a pie was only going to make it better. "At least let me pay you for it, for going to the trouble."</p><p>"Of course not!" Kazunari looked away from typing something on his phone—What was the candy equivalent of Tweeter? Maybe something to do with Peeps?—and pulled up a seat so that he could sit next to Muku. He handed them both a set of silverware wrapped up in a green and purple patterned cloth napkin. "You're one of my favorite roommates, and you're usually so busy working—Oh! I'm so gonna twiz about this. Hey, Hyodle, you mind if I snap a pic of your plate for the 'blam? The piece you've got is a new recipe. I haven't talked about yet."</p><p>"Oh yes, Candyblam loves all of Kazunari's photos!"</p><p>Juza looked up, half of his pie already gone from his plate. It was so good, with a sweetness that reminded him of the umeboshi his mom would pickle every summer and a warmth from the cinnamon and clove in the pie crust. He blinked at Kazunari for a second before swallowing his bite and hesitantly letting Kazunari take his plate over to one of the other tables. Juza just hoped he would bring it back when he was done.</p><p>"What brings you to our shoulder of the forest?"</p><p>"Neck of the woods?"</p><p>"Yes! It is rare to see you away from your book shop."</p><p>"We're headin' to Candy Castle," Juza said. Citron clapped his hands together excitedly.</p><p>"Oh! Will you be showing books at a booth for the celebration?"</p><p>"Nono, nothing like that!" Muku was quick to jump in before settling back into his chair. "We just need to speak to someone at the castle."</p><p>"You should try Rainbow, it’s only a little ways back." Kazunari returned the pie and Juza made quick work of it. "It's so much faster, and you can stop by PBH on the way! Word is they make super delish food there."</p><p>"Yes! Well," Muku sighed, shaking his head. "I don't think that's really an option right now. We tried that already, and the bridge disappeared right out from under Juchan."</p><p>"Say what?!"</p><p>"Oh no!"</p><p>"Are you hurt, Hyodle?!"</p><p>"How many numbers am I showing you? I will call the hospital."</p><p>Juza bat Kazunari's hand away from checking on his head before all this worrying messed up his hair. "M'fine, just a few scratches from climbin' back up. Point is the bridge is out, and we have to go the long way." He looked away from them, his gaze going off into the trees. It was so weird having someone outside of his family fussing over him so openly.</p><p>"Then you will need a snack!"</p><p>"Ohh, great idea Ronron! We’ll pack them up a couple of pies."</p><p>Then again, if it got them more of those pies, Juza could probably handle a bit more fussing.</p><p>Except that there were no pies left. Kazunari was just as surprised as Citron when he returned with the news.</p><p>"What about cobbler, or the crip that you made the last time I was here? You're both usually so prepared this time of year."</p><p>"Well yeah, usually, but we had this <em> super ginormous </em> order the other day." Kazunari bit at the tip of his thumbnail, scrolling through his phone and showing them a picture of some people eating at one of the tables. They were sitting so that they were facing away from the camera, but something about it seemed a little off. They seemed duller somehow when compared to everything else in the image. "Pies, jams, tarts, buns: you name it, they took it. We thought we'd have enough time to restock, but if Rainbow’s out of commission, there's no way we'll make it in time for the festival!"</p><p>Citron sighed with his entire body, leaning his full weight onto Kazunari. "It is truly a tapestry!" Honestly, Juza wasn't sure how they were both still standing.</p><p>"That's really sad," Muku started before his entire expression backpedaled. "I mean, I'm glad your business is doing so well! But It’s sad that you won't be able to pass out your food at the festival. I wish there was something I could do..."</p><p>"How much do you need?" Juza's question interrupted the dramatics, but he was too busy trying to figure out how many plums he could pick before sunset. If he didn't eat too many. "Collectin’ plums sounds pretty easy, and I know Muku's helped Mom in the kitchen before."</p><p>"W-w-w-what? No, not—not me, I'm too much like a soft whipped cream topping to be of any use making pies!"</p><p>"But, Mukkun, that doesn’t sound bad at all! And we could really use the help."</p><p>"Re-really? I mean, it does sound fun..."</p><p>"Then it is decreed!" Citron clapped, handing them both a green apron with a stylized gingerbread plum tree on the front. "As a unit, we will make enough pies for the festival!"</p><p>Juza had suggested he collect plums so he wouldn't be tempted to eat the pies as they came out of the oven, but with only so much fruit that needed to be picked, he eventually ended up in the assembly line. Muku made the crusts while Citron made the filling, Kazunari did the decor and detail work and kept an eye on them while they baked. With Juza taking over crust duty, Muku could keep an eye on the oven and make sure none of them tried to sneak a slice while they worked. It would have been worth it, but it was probably best that this was the pattern they settled on.</p><p>The sun was starting to set as Muku moved the final pies out of the oven to cool. The breeze was brisk, a refreshing change to the stifling heat of the oven and stove going all afternoon. The smell of plums and ginger almost didn't entice him anymore—still, he made sure to sit so that the pies were well out of reach. Citron was practically in tears as he made them some sort of meat dish Juza couldn't pronounce for dinner, and Kazunari had to have taken no less than 100 pictures of the stack of cooling pies. </p><p>"We owe you a great debit," Citron said, fluffing a pillow between his hands. Juza kept watching how it squished and kept wanting to take a bite out of it. This one looked more like a marshmallow than the ones at Muku's place. After an evening of listening to the gossiping blondes, Muku had suggested to Juza that they make their way home so they could get an earlier start the next morning. Kazunari wasn't having it, and all but forced Muku to take his bed. He could still hear his cousin trying to talk his friend out of it on the other side of the room. "Perhaps you can stay with us again on your return."</p><p>Juza took the pillow in his hands. He nodded, though it wasn't really a response. Juza had no intention of returning; this was all just a dream, after all, and he'd be gone once he reached the castle.</p><p>Still. No reason to turn his nose up at hospitality. "I'll mention it to Muku."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And here we meet our first Mankai members: Citron and Kazunari! They were both easier and harder to portray than I had been anticipating, but I really liked writing their back and forth!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Proper Procedure for Persuading a Peppermintjack</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Citron and Kazunari sent them off with a couple of warm pastries and a whole pie for their trouble. They said it was packaged for travel, and while Juza didn't think any kind of box would make it okay to just stick it in a backpack sideways, he wasn't going to question his dreamlogic too hard. With one final selfie from Kazunari, and the sun rising before them, they returned to the path and continued on their journey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There wasn't much to see as they walked, mostly fudge stripe cookies sitting on the end of flower stalks or chocolate coins clustered in the trees. There were more trees now; some brown barked, some studded with peppermint, whereas others were just peppermint sticks altogether. The air was getting colder, too. Just as Juza remembered where they were headed, a light snow started to fall. He stuck out his tongue and the flake he caught tasted like sweet cream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We must be entering the Peppermint Forest," Muku murmured, shifting his backpack around so he could pull out jackets for each of them. "These are a little thin for this region of the Kingdom, but we should be able to make it through if we stick to the path."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Will we run into Mr. Mint?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mister... oh, do you mean one of the peppermintjacks?" It... well, that sounded about right. He nodded, and Muku hummed a moment, pensive. "There's a chance. I mean, the path should take us right past the Candycutter's Lodge, but I'm not sure if anyone will be home. They shouldn't still be running supplies to the castle, but you never know who needs a last-minute stall built."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Out of peppermint?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh of course! Peppermint bark is one of Candy Land's sturdiest building materials!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their conversation dwindled a bit after that, Muku preoccupied with keeping an eye on the path while Juza tried to catch more snowflakes on his tongue. Sweetflakes? It was still snow, wasn't it? Just sweeter? Ice-cream wasn't going to happen for a while, so that wasn't it...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thoughts interrupted, Juza looked around for the familiar voice, trying to spot him along the forest of red and white. Of all the people Mr. Mint could be, he hadn't expected to see Tsuzuru emerging from the packed treeline wearing a mostly pink uniform. With an axe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You haven't seen anyone dressed like me running around, have you? Maybe with headphones on, or paying too much attention to their phone?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry," Muku said, looking around further in case he happened to spot someone of that description while he responded. "You're the first person we've seen in these woods."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A look of annoyance settled on Tsuzuru's face as he sighed. "Figures. Well, if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> see someone with one of those descriptions, tell them Tsuzuru says there's a lot of work to do, and the longer it takes, the longer they're sleeping outside."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you want us to help you look?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No." Tsuzuru hefted the axe over his shoulders. He didn’t seem to care that his breath was frosting in the air as he talked. Juza knew that both he and Muku were hyper aware of theirs. "They could be anywhere in these woods, and it's not a good idea to go and get yourself lost trying to find them. Thanks though, I appreciate the thought." With a simple wave, he was off the path and disappearing back into the rows of peppermint. At least, he was before he stopped himself to call back to them, gloved hands cupping around his mouth so his voice would carry. "The lodge is about half way through the forest! Your jackets are pretty thin for this weather, so take a break and warm up inside once you reach it! There's some soup keeping warm, and you're welcome to it before you continue your travels!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know, he seems pretty nice," Muku smiled, wrapping his coat just a little bit tighter before continuing to walk. "I hope he finds who he's looking for."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The canopy of the forest didn't hide all of the sunlight, but the path they were on didn't receive a whole lot of it. Moving helped; they raced each other once or twice to help keep warm, though it wasn't much of a race when they both knew that Muku was going to win every time. The other moments were filled with quiet conversation; Juza pointing out a particularly weird swirl pattern on the bark, or Muku marveling at the grove of stumps that had been shaved down to the roots and scattered to re-sprout. They passed a whole grove of them after about an hour in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second he spotted the lodge, Juza broke into a sprint. He couldn't feel his fingers, and he needed to stand inside until he was no longer an icicle. Muku was right on his heels, passing Juza up where he had stopped to regain the use of his lungs so that he could knock on the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hello?" He called, pushing it open a crack. The room was empty, but there was fresh lumber ready for a fire and a smell in the air that piqued Juza's hunger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We met Tsuzuru on the way here, and he said we could warm up, if that's okay!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a moment of silence before Juza pushed the door open further. "Don't think anyone's here right now." His first destination was the fireplace; the wood was already stacked nicely, so all he had to do was strike a match and throw it in. It wasn't long before Muku was next to him, holding out a bowl of what smelled like a really tasty stew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They’ve got cinnomon bark keeping the soup warm," He smiled by way of explanation—an explanation that meant more to Muku than it did Juza—before blowing on a bite and eating it. There was a bit of a kick to the flavor, which may not have been Juza's favorite thing in the world, but it did help to warm him up a bit faster. They stayed about an hour maybe—just enough time to be a bit too warm for sitting as close to the fire as they were. It wouldn't last, but it would help them keep the heat a bit longer while they traversed the rest of the forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one had arrived during their short rest at the Peppermint Lodge, so Muku wrote a thank you note and left it on the door while Juza put out the fire. There was no telling how much longer the place would be unoccupied, and he didn't trust his dream logic to not burn the place down if he left a fire going unattended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't much farther into their walk that they heard a tune coming from somewhere off to their right. "Is that a pipe organ?" Muku tried to peer through the peppermint and get a look at the instrument, but the trees were unyielding and the stripes created this weird camouflaged effect. Juza also tried to get a look, but his height was of no help in this situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did spy something useful, though. It wasn't as prominent as the maintained trail they were currently walking, but there was a path worked into the snow. "Looks like we can check it out </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> stick to the path." He tapped his foot on it, so he didn't think it would fall out from beneath him like Rainbow Bridge had. His dream wasn't letting him take shortcuts, and while he wouldn't count this as a shortcut, he didn't want to take any chances either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, but I don't think we should take any more branches after this one," Muku said with a smile. "We don't want to get lost."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The path wound its way between several thick tree trunks, some striped in the typical candy cane manner, some a mishmash of red and white. There were even some pink trees thrown in there, making this area of the woods a bit more distinctive to his eyes. After a couple of minutes they came to a lake, frozen solid and well hidden by the snow to the point that Juza had to catch his cousin when he walked out onto it and nearly tripped. Instead, they both went tumbling into a snowbank, and he had to refrain from just reaching out and grabbing a mouthful of the stuff from right beside his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I found the organ!" Muku said after shaking his hair free of snow. They both helped each other up, and Juza finally got a good look at the instrument they'd been looking for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he hadn't expected to see was Masumi skating leisurely around a smallish pond to the sweet sounds of the peppermint organ. He was in a uniform similar to Tsuzuru's—even the headphones around his neck were red and white striped to match. The organ was colored similarly, with a pink body and carved out peppermint sticks for the pipes. It was playing on its own, which would have been creepy given any other setting. The tune itself was kind of familiar; Juza couldn't place from where, but it was probably something he'd heard in the dorms. He waited for Masumi to make his way back around the pond before trying to get his attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oi," He called out over the lake. "Tsuzuru's lookin’ for you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So?" Masumi said, spinning so that he was skating backward. Juza also noticed that the circle he was skating became a little smaller, which was pretty nice, considering he hadn't expected Masumi to give them the time of day without the Director present.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're a peppermintjack, right?" Muku asked, though Masumi’s uniform gave him away. "He sounded like he really needed your help today."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's the point?" Masumi sighed, his face shifting into a forlorn expression. "We've already delivered our shipment to the castle, and the next one isn't planned for another month. It's too much. How am I supposed to survive that long without Izumi?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> this was about her, Juza really should have guessed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That song's really pretty," Muku said when Masumi came around again. "Did you write it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Found it on Tsuzuru's side of the room." He skated out of reach, spinning a couple of times as he made his way back around. "He's a nag, but the melody's nice to listen to."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't think Tsuzuru'd be happy knowin' you took it without his permission."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's the one who left it out. Of course I'm going to listen to it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, you should get back to the lodge, don't you think?" Juza looked up at the sky; it was hard to place the sun exactly, but he could kind of guess where it was. "It's almost lunchtime."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That kind of suggestion didn't work on everyone, and he hadn't expected it to work on Masumi. "You both can go to the lodge," he said after several more passes, completing his statement on the fourth. "I'm going to stay here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You think so?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsuzuru didn't look happy as he entered the clearing from the opposite side of the lake, sliding down the snowbank and expertly onto the ice. Masumi didn't turn and run, but he did skate right out of Tsuzuru's reach before the man could build up enough speed to catch him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Masumi! Get back here!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not going back unless I can see Izumi."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was kind of funny watching them skate around and around the lake. It wasn't going to be an endless chase—Tsuzuru was gaining on Masumi, slowly but steadily—but it was pretty humorous all the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who said you weren't going to see Izumi? CSF isn’t over yet, we still have a shipment to make!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That stopped Masumi in his tracks—at least it would have if he wasn’t behind so much momentum. Instead, he lost track of the lake's edge long enough to go careening into a snowbank. Tsuzuru wasn't able to slow down either and landed right on top of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your aim is terrible."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look who's talking!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Get </span>
  <em>
    <span>off</span>
  </em>
  <span> me, would you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop trying to use me as leverage, and I just might!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time Muku and Juza reached the crash site, they'd managed to right each other enough that they could focus a bit more on the snow they were covered in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You said we can go see Izumi again." Masumi's gaze was pointed, but Tsuzuru wasn't phased. He just sighed, brushing the snow off his lapels.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Like I said, we still have a shipment to pack; a few last-minute stalls just got approved, like they do </span>
  <em>
    <span>every year</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Why did you think this time would be any different?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Some castle guard said the roster was full. They couldn't fit any more booths if they tried."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, they were wrong, so just—" Masumi turned on his heels before Tsuzuru could finish and ran full speed back up the path towards the trail. "Hey—where are you going?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To get my axe!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you even know where—! Ugh, he's too far away, he can't hear me." Tsuzuru picked up his axe from where he’d dropped it on the side of the lake before grabbing the sheet music from the self–playing organ. Without the notes, the sound faded into nothing, leaving the area a little calmer than before. "Thanks for keeping Masumi occupied long enough for me to catch up with him," he said to them with a bow of his head. "If you hadn't, he might have just left the music here and wandered off into the forest."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Isn't that dangerous?" Muku asked. Tsuzuru shrugged in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For most people, sure, but us peppermintjacks know this place like the backs of our hands. Now if only I could find where Itaru went, we might be able to make some real progress."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Need help?" It was a fair enough question in Juza's opinion—they'd already found one, and Itaru probably wouldn't be any harder to track down—but Tsuzuru shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, but this isn't your job, and I think you've been distracted from your travels enough." Tsuzuru had a point. He made sure to get them onto the correct path and passed them two flasks of hot chocolate to keep them warm. "Thought I'd keep some on hand, in case I ran into you both again. If you keep following the trail north, you'll eventually reach a curve that will take you out of the forest. This is a small section, so you should be able to make it out before nightfall."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Muku wished him luck with his work, and with a final wave goodbye, they parted ways.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tsuzuru was probably one of the first characters I assigned a counterpart when I first drew up the comparison list, and I'm really glad he stayed Mr. Mint, tbh</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Lively Lament of Lord Licorice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It wasn't long after they left the shade of the forest's canopy that they found their jackets were no longer needed. The cold of the snow still pricked at Juza's skin as they walked, though that was mostly because the sun had decided to hide behind the dark grey clouds that had come rolling in. There was a rumble above them, and it was hard to tell if the darkness they were easing into was from the approaching dusk or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A flash of lightning lit up the horizon, and Juza really started to hope they would find someplace to set up camp soon. He didn't like getting caught in the rain on the best of days, much less in a place where the rain might be something else entirely. It was enough to take his mind off the uneasy air settling in around them and the next location they needed to pass on their journey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was not enough, however, to distract him from the booming sound that came from the manor before them—nor from whatever had been shot out of what looked to be some sort of cannon sticking out of the side of the top floor. Other than that brief glimpse illuminated by lighting, Juza was at a loss for what exactly he was looking at.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Muku took his confusion at face value, but skewed off the path his cousin’s thoughts had wandered. "That's where Lord Licorice lives," he said after a moment, pointing out the silhouetted trees that reached angrily for the sky. "I haven't been down this way much, but there are all sorts of rumors about him. Most people try not to pass by here if they can help it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What kind of rumors?" If he remembered the game right, Lord Licorice just wanted control of Candy Land. The motive had been pretty cut and dry, though it </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> make him wonder how much mischief this guy got into—and which face he was going to be wearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmm... most often I hear that he practices strange magic," Muku said after a moment. "And that he’s held a grudge against Candy Land since the Invasion."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait, what?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"In—Invasion?" Why would anyone want to invade Candy Land of all places—better yet, </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Since when had Candy Land been to war? And what other countries existed in his dream for them to be at war with? This was a game for three-year-olds, when did </span>
  <em>
    <span>bitter conflict</span>
  </em>
  <span> get wormed into the lore?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mmhm." Muku paused for a moment before realization crossed his face. "Oh, right, you don't remember do you? It was... well, it wasn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> long ago, but you probably wouldn’t have been old enough to really remember anything. I don't know the full story, but Papa told me that Outerlands militia were just about everywhere, and everyone was at a standstill for months. There was word that a treaty was being drafted, but there had been no news in so long, no one was sure what to think. And then the Consulate was declared dead, and the new Frostine—they same one we have now—was crowned so fast there wasn't even a formal ceremony."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"... Okay." That was a lot to take in. He tried to think back to the smiling characters on the box and imagine them entrenched in wartime tactics. Gloppy with a gun was a thought so jarring he wasn't going to be able forget it no matter how much he wanted to. "What does that have to do with Lord Licorice?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He was born in the Outerlands." There was another flash of lightning, followed by a threatening rumble not too far off in the distance. "He's been around for a couple of years, but a lot of people think he's only here as some kind of political hostage."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That doesn't..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was going to say that didn't make any sense, but it was at this moment that the rain started falling with fervor, and the two of them quickly dropped the subject in lieu of looking for shelter. With the biting chill from Peppermint Forest at their backs and leafless trees several miles in every other direction, their best choice seemed to be the only building around for miles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, yes!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was here that they noticed a man crouched at the base of one of these trees, completely ignoring the rain as it fell. He tugged up some plants out of the ground all the way to the roots and placed them gently in the basket on his arm. There was, in fact, an umbrella hanging from the same wrist, though it remained unopened despite the current weather. "Three beautiful </span>
  <em>
    <span>Althaea officinalis</span>
  </em>
  <span>, perfect." He grabbed a couple more roots from the other side of the tree before Juza could get his attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, if you're not usin' that umbrella, can we have it?" He had to be pretty loud to be heard over the intense rain, and the question was pretty useless with how soaked they already were, but he was really just trying to get the guy's attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Travellers!" Homare cried, prancing up to the two of them. He shook out the umbrella with a flourish and presented it to them like a bouquet of roses. "Please please, it's no good getting caught out in a storm such as this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But what about you?" Muku asked while Juza took the umbrella and held it over the both of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I live close by; besides, a little rain can't harm a god! Figuratively speaking, of course." A lightning clap intersected his thoughts, pulling from him an elated gasp. "And what a wonder it is, my home is not far from here! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Home is not a place but an affection, jilted by the lovelorn ashes of a fallen heart</span>
  </em>
  <span>—Oh!" Was that a poem? Probably. As if to reassure Juza that this is exactly what Homare had been spouting, he pulled out a pen and notepad and scribbled something down. In the rain. "And done. On that note, I advise you come with me and get out of this deluge—nay, I insist!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But—" Muku's words held very little sway when facing Homare, who was giving them little nudges to guide them along the path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hurry now, hurry! The lightning can be quite fierce, and I'd hate to see such fine young men charred by nature's abhorrent wrath!" He paused only a moment to add another line to his notebook before letting it and the pen drop into his basket. "My name is Homare."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Juza."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"M-Muku!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well! It's nice to meet you, Juza and Muku! Let's get you both inside and dried off, hm?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Juza, Homare represented a kind of energy you couldn't really find anywhere else. It was the sort of chaos that made him forget what they were doing and follow along without question. The man was dressed in enough black and red that Juza really should have been able to guess beforehand, but between the rain and the whirlwind introduction, he'd all but forgotten their next destination.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Honestly, Homare being Lord Licorice makes a lot of sense</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was a thought that bounced around in his head as he and Muku were pushed past a large, licorice gate and further up the path towards the looming building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, there were a lot of things that Juza expected from Lord Licorice's abode. Tall ceilings, intricate archways, red and black braided handrails—all were well within the realm of possibility. Even the chocolate bats flying inside when Homare opened the door for them didn't surprise him all that much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he hadn't expected was for the eccentric to clap his hands twice and for the lights to pop on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah," Homare sighed with his entire body. "That's better. Clove! Anise! Nutmeg!" Three bats came floating over from where they had been roosting. "Could you three get daddykins some towels, hm? And Ginger! Be a dear and check up on the master of the house, would you?" When the three bats he'd sent for towels returned, he gushed with what was probably "thank you" in about six different languages before ushering Juza and Muku into a side room to change into their second set of clothes. "Hurry up, you two! It'll take all night for your clothes to properly dry, and dinner is moments away!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eating dinner with Homare was only a little weird, normally. Eating dinner with Homare, the Lord of Licorice Estate, while he's on the other end of a ridiculously long table in red and black striped probably silk pajamas was another beast entirely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Now tell me, what are you traveling to the Castle for? I'm ever so curious." There was a piece of potato stuck to the end of Homare's fork as he waved it about with emphasis. Juza was a bit more focused on all the bats hanging from the ceiling. That didn't seem very sanitary, but maybe it was different since the bats were made out of chocolate. Was the table made out of chocolate? He was sorely tempted to find out, but managed to keep himself from breaking a chunk off of the furniture and eating it in front of their host.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's nothing special, really, just—" Muku caught Juza's eyes and took another bite of his dinner before continuing his thought. "We just want to be there for the festivities!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, yes! A delightful occasion to be sure. How long has it been since his Highness was crowned, a year, perhaps?" He took a bite and delicately carved out a slice of pork. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Time flits on fast feet, racing down the gilded spirals of Heaven until</span>
  </em>
  <span>... Hm." His notebook was already out and available for any musings he needed to commit to paper. "Not sure where that one’s going, but it’s a good start. You passed up Rainbow Bridge, did you not? You have quite a ways to go yet, but Gumdrop pass is up ahead—might whittle away a few of those pesky hours. Have you been to the Castle before?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, I haven’t," Muku admitted, whereas Juza just shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh it's quite lovely." He somehow perked up brighter than before. "I used to go there quite often once upon a time—with tonics and whatnot."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tonics?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look on Muku's face must have given away his confusion because a tired look came over Homare for the briefest of moments. It didn’t last long; his usual smile settled into his expression all to quickly. "I suppose you'd be more familiar with the term potions, hm? Something something, all that nonsense about me dealing in baneful magic? The idea does resonate with me, I admit, but it is simply not the case; though I do appreciate the drama of it all. No no, I merely mix this and that together to help out with whatever it is that needs helping."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Like, for headaches and stuff?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, not just headaches, Juza, all manner of pain and illness! It's foolhardy to think rumors wouldn't spring from the æther, what with my pedigree, but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> hoped enough visits to the Castle would have rid me of them...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But! Those are preludes to another day, as tonight must find her epilogue. Are your plates cleared? I'll retrieve dessert, and we can all tuck in for the night."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Muku didn't want trouble and Juza didn't want to see if Lord Licorice Homare was actually evil or just the same kind of Homare weird he was kind of used to, so when they were given a dimly lit room with one bed, they didn't fuss over it. They just settled where they could—Juza </span>
  <em>
    <span>insisted</span>
  </em>
  <span> Muku take the bed, so he took the extra pillows and blanket his cousin </span>
  <em>
    <span>insisted</span>
  </em>
  <span> on giving him—and tried to fall asleep to the soundtrack of a storm lashing out just outside their window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's... nicer, than I expected." Muku's voice pierced the occasionally flickering dark and pulled to the surface thoughts Juza was still trying to rationalize about this weird dream world. He'd already slept so much for a place where he shouldn't need it, and he still got tired... "It's kind of strange, though. Didn't he tell one of his bats to go check on someone? I don't remember them ever coming back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah... kind of weird."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll just have to be careful, then."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't draw too much attention."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even with the topic settled, the night was restless for both of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morning came with a loud crash that pulled Muku from the bed so fast that Juza barely had time to catch him before he went tumbling face first into the tile floor. The sun was out, which was a nice change of pace from the sudden storm the night before, but it still sounded like someone was violently attacking the kitchen. What they hadn't expected was to see that the culprit of the crime was Lord Licorice himself; still dressed in his pajamas and mixing something in a bowl with enough force that it was a surprise he hadn't  actually broken something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you sleep at all?" Were the first words out of Juza's mouth. Homare nearly dropped the bowl, he was so startled to see them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh! What time is it, what time—" he fluttered about the room, pulling several timepieces and what looked like a sundial from several different drawers. After a full minute of this, he pulled the door length curtains aside, letting in way more light than should have been comfortable for someone doing stuff in the dark. "It's already dawn, and still nothing!" He returned to dump the sticky mixture into a baking tray with a huff. "Naturally, I have to do everything myself."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Um, excuse me, Lord Homare?" Muku tried getting his attention, but the man simply would not be taken away from his task. Still moving about the kitchen, he pulled several boxes out of a cabinet and checked the contents to find several batches of white blocks cut into squares. It kind of looked like Tofu, but different. "What are you trying to do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he was doing was packing a bag with several of these boxes and setting it next to another bag that seemed to be filled with stoppered vials and beakers, wirestands and an oil lamp, and all sorts of things that Juza could only vaguely make out. "Did you even sleep?" He tried again. It sure as hell didn't look like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There's just no time for sleep!" Homare's attention was back on the tray. He tapped it on the counter a couple of times before setting it in an oven that was turned off. "First the Castle goes missing, then half of the marshmallows in storage, and now Hisoka! Those boys with the Gingerbread Patrol are nice, and I alway thought them quite capable—but I simply cannot wait another second!" He disappeared for all of three minutes; long enough for the two of them to exchange a look and for Juza to sate his curiosity by opening the oven to get a better look at the cubes. They smelled sweet, but also a little spicy; like ginger and cinnamon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think he's makin’ marshmallows."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" Muku held his hand over the opening. "There's no heat..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe you don’t bake ‘em? I don't actually know how marshmallows are made." Juza closed the door, his gaze falling to the other corners of the room. "He said somethin’ about the castle going missin’? What'd he mean by that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There's a telescope over by the window, I think." They both spotted it at the same time, though Muku beat him to it. When he pulled away from the lens, he had that worried look on his face again. He stepped back so that Juza could take a look as well. "I don't see anything."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a minute, Juza thought the other end of the telescope might have been damaged because all he saw was pink. It was a pale pink, almost like a fog, or a mist—and then he tilted it upward just a bit and caught what was probably the tip of a spire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then Homare returned just as loudly as he left, sweeping into the room in something much more extravagant and probably not good for heading out into the world and searching for someone. He had their clothes in his arms as well, placing them on the kitchen island so he could grab his bags. "I'm sorry boys, but I simply must ask you to leave. My bats get very touchy if someone new is here without me, and I can't chance them causing a ruckus for an undisclosed about of time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's alright, we've gotta get goin' anyway," Juza passed Muku his clothes before packing his own away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh? Oh! Right, you did say you were heading towards the castle..." Homare shouldered his bag, quiet for long enough that it was noticeable. "Would you both... mind terribly if I accompanied you? At least until the mountains. I've checked all around the marshes already, and your company would help me keep a level head, I think."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Our—are you sure?" Muku fidgeted a bit, zipping up his own backpack before slipping it on. "I'm just a good for noth—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, you can come with us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Splendid!" Homare spun and clapped before pushing them gently towards the front door. "Now then, my compatriots, let us make haste!"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aaaand Homare makes his grand entrance!! I was really expecting him to be one of the harder characters to portray, but he's also super fun to write dialogue for, so I hope he comes across well!</p><p>This is the last chapter that I'll be posting until we can de-anon our work, but after that I plan to post regularly every week. Until then, who do <i>you</i> think we'll meet in the Gumdrop Mountains?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Great Mystery of Gumdrop Mountain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was still relatively early when they left the Licorice Estate. Homare was a constant source of chatter, but he was also on high alert—eyes darting this way and that for the missing Hisoka.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What do they look like?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Probably sleeping off the side of the road somewhere," Was what Juza <em>wanted</em> to say. Instead, he grabbed a bunch of Skittles off of a passing bush and shoving them into his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hisoka is... much like a marshmallow, I think. Stationary, but with a surprising energy to him once he starts moving." Homare laughed a little at this, turning his gaze away from his thoughts and out towards the horizon. "Though I suppose you were looking for less of a psychological depiction: white hair always in his right eye, usually seen listless or sleeping. He would be easy enough to find in this landscape, on a normal day."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll say." Juza kept his eyes on what was probably supposed to be the gumdrop mountains looming ever closer with each step they took. The edge where the mountains touched the sky was more bumpy than rocky. He'd seen several large boulders come loose and tumble down the sides already, even though it had only been an hour or so since they'd gotten close enough to see that kind of detail. The thing that was throwing him off was the mountains themselves. They were supposed to be made of gumdrops of all different colors, but the landscape before him was stark white. Worse than that, it was... flat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I've never seen the mountain so colorless," Muku murmured, a good indication for Juza that it wasn't just him seeing things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's... not unheard of, but certainly strange." Homare's brow hadn't un-furrowed since his gaze had fallen onto the vision before them, his fingers tapping away in a rhythm against his cheek. "This effect is likely the work of powdered rutile and... hydrolyzed collagen? I've replicated it in small amounts at home, but I haven't made a batch large enough <em>or</em> potent enough to affect the mountains like <em>this</em>. I promised the keeper I wouldn't alter the mountain's ecosystem without running it by him first."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why would you want to change the mountains?" Muku asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And how?" Juza followed up. "That sounds really hard."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"On the contrary, it's not hard at all if you get the timing right." Homare pulled out his notebook and flipped a couple of pages past the second half of the book, writing down something or other without taking his eyes off the mountain range. "Void of color, but no diminished sweetness on the winds. Honestly, they kind of look like..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Homare didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he shoved his notebook into the pocket of his jacket and picked up the pace.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come along, boys! Our Jolly Mountain Keeper shant be kept waiting!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mountain itself had a gently sloping base before its peak tilted and pointed up into the sky. The sky's usual blue was a vivid backdrop, making the view look like an unfinished page in one of Azuma's coloring books. The cabin they were approaching didn't take away from it either, though part of it did seem to be blotched out and faded. Homare went right up to the building and rapped solidly on the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sakuya! Please tell me you're home and not wandering off somewhere in the bleak whiteness of the mountain!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A soft "Oh!" came from inside, and a few moments later, Sakuya's smiling face peered out through the door. He didn't seem to be affected by the same issue as the mountain in the distance. When he saw who it was, he smiled and opened it up further.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Lord Homare! Thank goodness you're here. Come inside, I'll make some uh... tea?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Tea would be splendid, thank you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Homare—ever the gentleman—waited for Sakuya to finish serving the tea before jumping into his questions about how the mountains came to be like this in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Honestly, Lord Homare, I thought you would know more about this than me." He set his cup down on one of the mix-matched coasters, fiddling with his thumbs as he recounted the previous night. "Some gumcubs had wandered into the valley sometime when the rain had started to fall, and I couldn't take them home without exposing them to the lightning."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Gumcubs?" Juza asked. Sakuya nodded enthusiastically, and Juza was kind of surprised that he didn't go and get one right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes! Baby Gumbears, and really young ones at that. Their parents can be pretty territorial. Otherwise, I'd let them come out to play while you're all here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Understandable that you wouldn't want to take them back like this." Homare set down his cup and unclasped the second of his bags—the one not filled with boxes of marshmallows. "I am not the originator of this incident, though I believe my work likely led to it. I can work on a reversal in the meantime, but I really must know something before I start." He worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he set out his belongings: vials, beakers, one of those burners Juza only saw during science labs—all filled with various vibrantly colored liquids. "Have you seen Hisoka about? <em>Seen</em>. It doesn't even have to be recently, just sometime within the past 24 hours?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakuya was quiet for a moment, his eyes closing. It didn't look like he was trying to remember, more like he was... focused? "He's in the mountains. The deer and crows have seen him." When he opened them, there was a clarity to them that made Juza think a little bit of magic. "He arrived shortly after the colors left, heading towards the quarry."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Homare sighed, pulling out a pair of heavy-duty gloves and a matching apron from his second bag. "I'll make sure to ask what he was thinking when he's been found."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You're not going out yourself?" Muku asked, having set his own mug down as the tea finished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Not if I want to reverse the discoloration entirely." Homare pulled out a pair of goggles too. He really was starting to look less like an evil licorice man and more like a mad scientist. "The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to reverse—and without my cannon to disperse things evenly, I have to think of a different method to get the antidote to spreading quickly."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We can go look for him." The speed at which Homare dropped whatever instrument he was holding and grabbed Juza's hands was astounding. The man wasn't even that far into his space, but Juza felt himself leaning away regardless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Really? Truly?" Homare kept getting closer. Juza tried to pull his hands away, but Homare's grip was stronger than he expected. "You would go out there in these near-impossible conditions to find someone you've never even met? Are you an angel sent from heaven?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muku, the true angel in the room, carefully detached Homare's hands from his cousin so that Juza could slip out of the crampt space he found himself in. "You would feel less worried if we did, right? More able to focus on the antidote?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled with a determined nod. "Then Juchan and I will go look for Lord Hisoka."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next twenty minutes were filled with hysterical thank yous in probably six different languages that didn't sound anything like the ones he used yesterday with his bats. While Muku took the brunt of Homare's energy, Juza checked their bags to make sure they had everything. They did, and there was still room enough for Juza to accept the small box of the cookies Sakuya had offered after watching him demolish the ones he'd been given with tea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were really good cookies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shortly past Sakuya's cottage was a field where several now colorless, sketchy cows were grazing. Sakuya pet some of them as he passed them by and had to keep one particularly excitable chocolate calf from following them all the way to the treeline. With the color missing, everything looked flat, and lifeless—as if everything was made from paper. They passed a few trees, and when Juza looked back, the same trees looked much farther away than they should have been.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can't go in much further." Sakuya wrung the edge of his shirt in his hands. "I want to help Lord Homare fix this as soon as possible. This sort of thing... it's not good for the animals, and I have a responsibility to keep them safe."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We understand, Sakuya." Muku smiled. "You go back to Homare. We'll look for Hisoka and bring him back as soon as possible."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Stick to the path for as long as you can," Sakuya told them, pointing to a flatter part of the expansive white. "Once the color comes back, you'll be able to use them to find your way. It's just me watching over the mountains, so there are signs everywhere for you to follow."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Thanks," Juza ruffled his hair a little bit, breaking him out of the somber expression he'd been sporting. "Now get going. I get the feeling that Homare's going to be all over the place without you keeping an eye on him."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The worst thing about scaling the mountain was that it was incredibly taxing on Juza's depth perception. He couldn't tell where he was half the time, and it didn't take long for them to decide that holding onto each other was going to be the best way to not get separated. So for some time, they just kept walking hand in hand, hoping not to bump into something <em>else</em> that they couldn't see.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I hope we find him soon," Muku murmured, forcefully blinking his eyes a couple of times in an attempt to readjust what he was seeing. Juza hoped that was working out for him; he'd taken to just kind of looking at Muku to make sure he could still see colors at all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, it's kinda terrible out here." He rubbed at his eyes for probably the ninth time in the past... twenty minutes, maybe, how long had they been out there again? They'd been in Sakuya's cabin, but that felt both forever ago and not long at all. It was harder to see everything too... "Has it been getting darker, do you think?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muku used his free hand to shade his eyes—though in this case, all it probably did was narrow his focus. "I can't see much of the sky anymore, but it's hard to tell with everything else blending together... I really hope we find Hisoka soon. It wouldn't be good to get lost out here overnight."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You think Homare'll have the antidote done before we get back?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can't really say, but I hope so. I'm sure Sakuya's worried about all the animals, and he still has the gumcubs at his cabin—"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A loud noise cut them off, the sort of loud bang that made Juza think of some sort of explosive. Or a cannon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Did you hear that?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It came up ahead!" Juza took the lead, one hand out to stop himself from running into something, the other holding onto his cousin as they ascended further up the mountain. Muku tugged back against his grip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wait a second," He did, and they fell silent. There was something in the distance—he could hear it, some sort of rushing—he looked at his cousin in an attempt to reorient his vision, and that was when he realized something had hit the mountain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What he was hearing was an avalanche.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muku started running, and it was all Juza could do to keep up; duking this way and that around hard to see branches and rocks, keeping his eyes squarely on Muku's feet so that he didn't trip. With his cousin forging their path, he could focus on listening for just how far away the rocks were, just how much time they had left to find shelter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think there's a cave back this way!" Muku called back, though Juza hadn't asked him for the information. He trusted his cousin not to lead them into danger unless it was absolutely necessary. "We're going to have to duck, follow closely!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza followed as close as he could, but it did little to help in the long run. With the colorless everything around him, he was bound to trip—and when he saw Muku duck into a place he couldn't see and felt the avalanche on his heels, he knew he wasn't going to make it to the cave in time. So he did the one thing he could to make sure that his cousin would be safe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let go.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What followed after was a jumble to his senses. Color burst back into his world, and he tumbled down, and down, and down, and stopped. Ringing reverberated between his ears as his vision came back to him. He blinked just in time to see the stars light up the sky before the rumble of the sugar rocks caught up to him, and he blacked out.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aaand here's chapter 5! Sakuya has made his appearance, I wonder who will show up next?</p>
<p>Now that I'm no longer anonymous: I want to update every week on Wednesday or Thursday, but I think updates are going to be more like every other Wednesday or Thursday. I had a lot of fun writing this, and Xiruo was wonderful to work with(they made the art for Chapter one, go check it out!) and I can't wait to share more!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Tumbling Into A Triangle or Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Juza awoke to crackling and pain, and—not for the first time—wondered how many people he'd had to fight for whoever they were to get a good enough hit on him that he felt it this intensely. The crackling clarified after a minute to what might have been a fire. The darkness was great for his aching head, but it wasn't helping him figure out where he <em>was</em>. He couldn't feel his phone in any of his pockets, and he needed to get back to the dorm before it got too late—</p><p>"Hey, woah, chill out there a minute," He must have tried to sit up because someone was pushing him back down and feeling his temples with their wrist. "You're not sweating, which I think is a good sign. Ok, I'm gonna flash a light in your eyes, one sec—"</p><p>There was a bright flash, just as he had been warned, though he still recoiled as the pain intensified behind his eyelids.</p><p>"Good news! Your pupils are dilating. What's your name?"</p><p>"J-Juza..."</p><p>"Juza? That's a pretty cool name, Do you know where you are?"</p><p>This one was a harder question, the cotton in his head stiffening when he tried to make sense of all the information jumbled about in his head. He was supposed to be at Mankai, there was practice in the morning and he couldn't miss it...</p><p>So why was he so sure he was on a mountain?</p><p>"Huh. Sorry Juza, can't say I know where Mankai is, but right now you're in the Southeasterly range of the Gumdrop Mountain Range."</p><p>Gumdrop Mountains, right. He tried to sit up again, and the guy helped him lean against a turbinado boulder. Juza downed the canteen of water as soon as it was in his hands.</p><p>"Easy there, easy, don't choke. Do you know what happened to you?"</p><p>He and Muku had been climbing the mountain, looking for... for Hisoka and then there was a sound, and an... avalanche? He wasn't going to make it, and he didn't want to drag his cousin down with him...</p><p>Taichi whistled, and all the familiarity about him settled into place. "Wow, guess you're some sorta hero, huh? Looking for the Marquis, saving your cousin—"</p><p>Marquis?</p><p>"Yeah, Hisoka? The Marshmallow Maquis, lives at the Marshmallow Manner? Well, the marshes have all dried up, I think, so Lord Homare's been calling it the Licorice Estate..."</p><p>Juza listened as Taichi talked, a pleasant chatter filling the space they were in much like when they ate lunch on the rooftops at school. Tenma wasn't there, but he couldn't expect his dream to be accurate to life all of the time.</p><p>If he could even count on this being a dream, anymore.</p><p>"Oi." His voice was quieter than he had intended, but Taichi heard him anyway.</p><p>"What's up, you feeling okay?" Taichi took his temperature for what was maybe the twentieth time. "The manual says to watch out for like, vomiting, but the captain says concussions have a lot of different symptoms to look out for."</p><p>"Yeah, just... "He shook his head a little, and while the pulsing was still there, it had faded well enough that he could actually look at Taichi without feeling like the colors were hurting his eyes. He had to admit, the uniform did indeed make him look like a gingerbread man—like the nutcracker ones his Mom made every time Christmas came around. "Gingerbead Patrol, right?"</p><p>"Why, yes!" Taichi perked up at that, puffing out his chest with pride before shaking it off with a question of his own. "Have you seen anyone else dressed like me? Maybe with different color buttons, or going off about triangles probably—"</p><p>"Triangles?" That could only feasibly be one person.</p><p>"Yeah, we all kind of split up to look for the Marquis, and to see if we could find out what happened to the mountain range." He poked at the fire a little, looking out behind where they were settled. "I got separated from my partner during the avalanche, and I found you while trying to find my way back. This cave isn't too far away from the main path, but it's kinda difficult to navigate."</p><p>"Because of all the nothing."</p><p>"Nah, it's not like that anymore. I think whatever had happened, the avalanche..." He cringed a bit; his eyes were looking at the fire, but he seemed almost uncomfortable. "well, I dunno if it's fixed, really, but the colors are back. Doing weird things, but nothing's all scribble-y anymore."</p><p>That was good then, it meant that either the original whatever it was had worn off, or Homare had finished what he was working on. Things still didn’t sit right with him, though. If that avalanche was causing him this much pain, could he honestly say everything was a dream? Concussions weren’t exactly common for him, but he’d gotten into a fight or two where the other party had gotten in a good hit, and it wasn't a feeling that was easily forgotten. He <em>had</em> to be in a dream, there was no other explanation—but the pulse resounding in his head told him he was only fooling himself.</p><p>He couldn't think about this, not right now. He needed to focus on getting out of there, and making sure Muku was okay.</p><p>"I need to find my cousin," He said, firmly pushing the uncomfortable thoughts away for another time.</p><p>"Yeah, and I need to find my partner." Taichi stood, holding out a hand to help him up. Juza took it, and rolled his shoulder with a crack. His head still hurt, but it was more of an annoying headache right now. Besides, if it really was a concussion, he needed to stay awake until a medical professional could take a look at it. "You feeling okay? We should probably take it slow, but as long as you're not going to fall over or hurl or something, we can start heading back to the Mountain Keeper's place."</p><p>"I'm fine." He cracked his neck, the small pops leading into a large one that instantly released some of the tension in his shoulders, and the base of his beck. It was nice for his body to cooperate for once; most of the time it just hurt worse, but he was usually in the middle of a fight, so he just dealt with it. "I've had worse than this. Lets go."</p><p>He shouldered his backpack—still not sure how everything was fine, even the <em>pie</em> was perfectly intact—and headed towards where Taichi had pointed earlier. Juza was pretty sure he heard him murmur something like "so freaking cool" as he doused the fire, and followed after him.</p><p>-----</p><p>Seeing the mountains at night fully saturated was a sight Juza had not expected after the state fo things when he’d been knocked out. His last recollection was a landscape so blank it hurt to look at—but with the color restored, and the stars streaking blue and violet across the sky, the Gumdrop Mountain Range was starting to show a beauty Juza hadn't expected. What he'd once imagined to be a giant set of gumdrops turned out to be millions and millions, all piled up together and creating a collage of colors cascading down from the snow-tipped mountain peaks. He could see now how an avalanche could happen so easily. Even from this distance, moonlight bounced off the sugar coating as a handful of loose gumdrops rolled down the northern cliffside.</p><p>The trees were back to what was probably their usual vibrancy—though Juza wouldn’t have any frame of reference for that—shades and hues splattered across the mountains thicker and thicker as they went up. They were glowing, too; when the clouds covered the moon, the candied mushrooms and fungi lit up the floor beneath them in intricate, unknowable patterns and out-of-control swirls. It was mystical, and beautiful, and he hoped that wherever Muku had managed to tuck himself, he was able to see this. Juza was pretty sure this would count as something straight out of one of his manga.</p><p>"Look!" Juza pulled his gaze away from the sight, but not without some hesitance. Taichi stood at the edge of a cliff—he wouldn’t slip, but he was close enough that a tinge of fear prickled at Juza’s mind. He was pointing down into the valley below, where a small cabin could barely be seen off in the distance. "I'm pretty sure that's Jolly's cabin. We should probably head down that way in case the mountain gets erased again."</p><p>"I need to find my cousin," Juza reiterated, looking in the opposite direction; trying to pinpoint where the whole thing had started so he could figure out where he’d fallen from. He started his ascent, but Taichi took him by the arm. Even though this Taichi didn't really know his reputation, he still shrunk back a bit when Juza turned his attention onto him. Juza remembered a conversation Homare had with him about them both having intense eyes, and he wondered—not for the first time—if there was a way to turn that off.</p><p>"Look, I get that you're worried, but we really shouldn't be going back up without someone who knows these mountains." Taichi looked up at him, and then off towards the treeline, and Juza wondered if he was looking for Misumi. "If anyone does, it's going to be Sakuya, so if we can get down without triggering another disaster, maybe he can head up and look for him. Or maybe he ran into another GB! Or the Marquis, even, so wouldn't he be trying to get back down anyway?"</p><p>He... had a point, but <em>Juza</em> knew just how prone Muku was to over-exaggeration; it was something he and Kumon shared, in a way, and Juza just couldn't shake the thought that Muku would be looking for him after losing him in an avalanche.</p><p>Man, he was going to have to apologize, too. He could already hear Muku finding a way to blame himself for not keeping track of him when it was Juza who had let go in the first place.</p><p>"Fine," He didn't like it, but he had to be smart. If this wasn't a dream—</p><p>He had to be smart, Muku would want him to be smart about this. Taichi looked relieved, at least, before leading him through a rocky, but walkable path downwards. Juza didn't turn around completely, but he couldn't help but look over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure he didn’t see a spot of pink heading down the mountain in the darkness.</p><p>They traveled for probably an hour, Taichi talking about this or that as they made their way along the multi-colored cliffs. “These mountains are a famous date spot, you know!” He said as he picked up some of the colorful glowing mushrooms on one side of the tree. “All the glowing stuff really makes for a great nighttime adventure—though I don’t think Sakuya likes people out here at night too much.”</p><p>“He told us to stick to the path,” Juza added to the conversation. It looked like Taichi was going to respond, when something else caught his attention. He immediately jerked around—looking for something, before his face lit up. Taichi jumped a little, cupping his hands around his mouth.</p><p>“MIIIIISUUUUUMIIIIIIII!!”</p><p>Juza didn’t see Misumi at first; he was just a speck in the distance, until he wasn't. Once he started running it was easy enough to spot him getting closer, and he wasn't alone. Right alongside him, keeping an easy pace, was Muku. Juza didn't think he'd ever felt relief so strongly as he did at that moment. Muku didn't slow down, either; Juza was pretty sure he'd been spotted, because his cousin had started to overtake Misumi's speed, and didn't stop until he'd run full force into Juza.</p><p>"Juchan!"</p><p>"Hey, Muku." He caught his cousin easily enough, though taking him out of his stride was a different matter completely. All of the extra energy that had been carrying him hit with the force of several people at once; his best description was getting tackled, but instead of being taken to the ground, Muku just hugged around his middle a little tighter than was probably necessary. It certainly helped Juza keep his balance, though now the guilt was hitting harder than ever. He wouldn't have changed how everything had gone down—not with them both coming out relatively okay, at least. Muku didn't seem to be injured at all, which Juza was thankful for—but he didn't like making his cousin worry.</p><p>"You let go!" Muku squeezed him tighter, and Juza squeezed back. Yeah, he probably had this one coming. "We were almost there, and you let go!"</p><p>He held onto his cousin for a moment, before letting Muku fuss; checking his face, his arms, and of course, running across the painful spot at the back of his head. Juza didn't think he'd been too noticeable about it, but Muku knew all of his tells. He also probably knew what Juza was going to say next.</p><p>"I'm sorry for worrying you." Muku stopped his search for injuries long enough to look at his kin. "I got hit on the head, but I'm okay. Been walkin’ for probably an hour with no trouble."</p><p>Muku scrutinized him for a moment, pressing at the back of Juza's head just slightly. He winced, of course, but whatever his cousin had been looking for he must have found it, because he stepped back a moment later, "Okay, but you're taking it easy from here on out—and <em>you're</em> the one who's telling Kyuchan what happened when we get back home."</p><p>Misumi had managed to make it to them by the time Muku was done fussing. By the time Juza got to actually look at the man, he held Taichi in a bear hug strong enough to keep him aloft in the air.</p><p>"Misumi, how did you find us?!"</p><p>"I followed the triangle!" Misumi pointed up to the sky, probably at a coupling of stars somewhere. Literally any three would make a triangle, and with so many out that night, Juza was just going to take his word on this one.</p><p>"Have you seen Tenny, or the captain? I found a civilian, but I haven't run into anyone else."</p><p>"No, but he'll probably be in the valley. It's past meet-up time!"</p><p>A look of panic overcame Taichi, very similar to the same one Juza had often seen without realizing during <em>How Wonderfully Picaresque</em>. "Sherbet, I forgot! We're supposed to be back at Sakuya's already!"</p><p>"I'm sure Tsumugi will understand. There was a catastrophe, and we <em>did</em> find people who needed our help!"</p><p>Taichi lit up at this. "Hey, that's true! Thanks, Misumi!" He turned to Juza and Muku with a bright smile. "You guys ready to go?"</p><p>They reached Sakuya's place without any further issue, and while Juza was doing okay, he really just wanted to sleep. He'd been up long enough that he should be in the clear, but he knew Taichi was probably going to tell this captain of his about the concussion, and they might make him stay up a little longer just to be sure. It was the safe option, but not the one he wanted to entertain.</p><p>There were already other people waiting there, too; he could see Homare standing outside of the building, holding up Hisoka—at least, Juza was pretty sure it was Hisoka. He'd never seen anyone else capable of sleeping so soundly while standing up—and talking to someone wearing the same uniform as Taichi and Misumi. Tenma was there too, and waved once he spotted them.</p><p>"Wow," Tenma said as he approached them, nodding in approval. "We found the Marquis, so I wasn't actually expecting you guys to bring anyone back."</p><p>"Tenny! This is Juza and Muku. I found Juza unconscious after the avalanche—You should have seen this guy, he was so cool!"</p><p>"Yes, and I met Muku! He was running around the mountain like WOAH, but we started following the triangles, and BAM! We found Taichi!"</p><p>"And Juza! They're cousins."</p><p>"Yeah?" Tenma turned to them, holding out his hand. " Name's Tenma, The Gingerbread Patrol's second in command. How are you two holding up?"</p><p>"O-oh, um, very well, thank you!" Muku shook it a little awkwardly, but probably not as awkward as Juza. Tenma didn't pay it any mind, instead giving him a brief look-over and nodding to himself.</p><p>"You survived an avalanche, huh? You don't look too beat up, but go see the Captain before you go anywhere. He knows a thing or two about injuries, and he'll want to make sure you're both alright."</p><p>Muku grabbed him by the hand and pulled him over to the captain, who was listening as Homare continued to go on about... well—Hisoka, it sounded like.</p><p>"—he's never gone off like this before, and I really appreciate that you brought him back safe and sound—" Hisoka pitched forward a little bit, and Homare popped a marshmallow into his mouth. This, of course, brought the man back to life enough so that Homare didn't have to support his full weight. Hisoka didn't seem to notice and shifted with him as he continued to speak to the Gingerbread Captain.</p><p>The Gingerbread Captain, who also happened to be Tsumugi.</p><p>"Oh!" Homare smiled at them as they approached, shaking Hisoka just a little bit so he would look their way also. "Hisoka, thank them too. Juza and Muku went out looking for you so I could fix what you did to the mountain without wasting away with worry."</p><p>"Thank you... they told me it was the marshmallow one."</p><p>"<em>Who</em> told you it was the marshmallow one? Regardless, you don't need to turn Sakuya's mountain into a marshmallow, I've got plenty at home for you." He turned to Juza and Muku after that. "Really though, thank you both. I wouldn't have been able to focus on the remedy if I didn't know you were out there looking for him—no offense of course, Captain."</p><p>"None taken," Tsumugi smiled. "I know how much you were worried about him. I'm sure it was comforting to know there were more people with their eyes peeled."</p><p>"Excuse me, um, Captain...?"</p><p>"Tsumugi."</p><p>"Captain Tsumugi!" Muku tugged Juza a little closer. "My cousin was hurt during the avalanche. Tenma said you'll be able to, um, tell if he's alright?"</p><p>"I'm okay, Muku, really." Muku tugged on his wrist a little harder, which was fine. Juza hadn't expected to convince him against this.</p><p>"Sure, I can take a look if you're both worried."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Whoo, and another chapter done and up! Juza really gave me some trouble with this one—he reeeaaaally didn't want to have a concussion. Not that I can blame him, lol</p><p>Anyone remember the Glimwood Tangle from Pokemon SWSH? That with candy is kind of the vibe when I imagine when the nighttime scenery and foliage of the Gumdrop mountains</p><p>Feel free to leave a comment if you liked what you read, and thanks for stopping by!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Joining the Gingerbread out on Patrol</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>With the mountain returned to normal, Sakuya's prime objective was getting the gumcubs back to their homes before morning. He made sure to get everyone set up in his cabin, though Juza was just glad he managed to stay awake long enough to see the cubs before he headed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can use anything I have on hand." Sakuya stood at the front door, one cub strapped into a sling while he tried to wrangle the other one from wiggling out of his grasp and over his shoulder. They looked like what Juza would expect a bear cub to look like, but a little translucent with one a medium yellow and the other a bright red. "I should be back before sunrise, feel free to rest anywhere you like! There's some extra bedding in the closet, and no one's in the guest bedroom, so you can use that as well—Oh! And my bed is in the backroom, that one's open too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Juza didn't argue when it was decided that he and Muku would take the guest room, and he also didn't argue when Muku ushered him to bed. All of the exhaustion of the day, the concussion—it hit him like a truck and he was out so fast he didn't even remember his head hitting the pillow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Things were a bit hazy after that until his surroundings came into focus. The curtains must have been closed sometime during the night, and what little light that did slip through practically glowed in the darkness of the room. Juza didn't bother trying to go back to sleep. He'd never been able to steal back those couple extra minutes between opening his eyes and the blare of his alarm, and after a long stretch and a small pop at the back of his neck, he was as good to go as he was going to get.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smell of breakfast foods hit him as he left the room and headed down the short hallway. Taichi was still sound asleep on a bedroll laid out in the sitting room—curled up in blankets so tight it was a wonder he could breathe in there—and while Tsumugi was definitely sitting up, Juza couldn’t be sure if he was actually conscious or not. He blinked, at least. He found Muku and Tenma at the kitchen table, each with a cup in front of them and their voices soft as they talked quietly to each other in the early morning. Sakuya puttered around the kitchen, moving around a humming Misumi who was diligently cutting several slices of toast in half so that they made triangles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had Sakuya even slept? Juza would never get his answer. As soon as Tenma spotted him he was waved over, and it wasn't long before he had a cup of tea in front of him as well—pale and full of cream and just enough sugar that he could see Tenma contemplating whether he should ask if there was actually any tea in that cup or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How are you feeling?" Muku's voice was already quiet, so hearing him trying to be even moreso made it a little harder to hear him. Juza rolled his shoulders again, and nodded after another audible pop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"M'good."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm glad," Muku smiled at him, taking another sip from his cup. "Tenma says that they'll be heading towards the castle as soon as everyone wakes up. They have to stop at Rainbow Bridge to make repairs, but with how yesterday went, I thought it might be a good idea to go with them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a good idea, honestly. Juza made sure to tell him so before any doubt started to sink in, and it wasn't long after that Taichi and Tsumugi joined them with their own bleary-eyed good mornings. Breakfast was fun, if not a little quieter than Juza expected—Mankai breakfasts were always so hectic with everyone passing through the kitchen. He was starting to forget that—but Sakuya made sure to pack them each a snack before they headed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Rainbow Bridge had nearly hurtled them into the rushing rapids of the Fizzy River, Gumdrop Pass gave them no such trouble. The path itself passed over the river just like Rainbow did—Juza tried not to notice that the waters were calmer here, and much <em>much</em> further beneath them—but this one was made of some sort of hard candy with gumdrops stacked and placed to make archways and even a tunnel at one point. It wasn't terribly long; maybe a twenty-minute walk, but the Gingerbread Patrol had come prepared. Misumi was sent ahead to check its stability while everyone else tied themselves into groups with some rope that Tsumugi had on him. It reminded Juza of mountain climbers in the movies; each one attached in a line so that no one got separated if someone lost their footing. They ended up not needing it in the end, but Juza was kind of glad they were being cautious. It wasn't his normal MO, but he'd rather do things this way if it meant Muku was a little safer in the long run.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't want to think about Muku falling into the river, He didn't want to think about how permanent the fear of that possibility was starting to feel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beyond the pass were two paths; one lead back into the mountains while the other made its way into scattered redwood trees with Snickerdoodles speckling the bark, and Peanut Butter Drop cookies blossoming like flowers at the roots. They took the redwood path, stretching down and into a long valley. There were a lot more trees in Candy Land than Juza remembered, but it didn't seem all that weird now that he thought about it. It would have been weirder to run into like, a big city or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, there are all sorts of stories on the royal family in the Castle Town Library."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's amazing... do you think I'd be allowed to take a look once we get there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Probably, the Queen's pretty adamant on a well-educated public. You could probably check some out if you wanted."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taichi and Muku had taken to filling the silence with an occasional quip from Tenma or Tsumugi. Misumi was humming some sort of song with "triangle" something mumbled every third word, and Juza found himself content to just listen in—it probably wasn't Muku's intention, but the conversation was telling him a lot about the world that he didn't remem—know, that he didn't know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can check out most things," Tsumugi added from his spot at the front of their group. "Though there are some documents that have to stay in the library; sensitive information that the crown doesn't want getting lost or damaged."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is it really that big of a secret?" Juza asked, probably the first real words he'd said since they left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, not a secret, more..." Tenma rolled the information around in his head a moment before answering. "It's more like no one's sure what the real truth is? My dad's always going off about <em>this</em> particular council member, or <em>that</em> particular battle, but it's pretty clear that no one's figured out what <em>really</em> happened when the regent council disappeared. I guess if they keep it all in the library, they can be sure the person who's looking into it has all the different accounts on hand."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My parents told me it was nothing for a while." Muku had that same faraway look on his face as he did when he and Juza had been on their way to Homare's. That moment seemed so long ago, even though it was only a day or two, and Juza was feeling a little nostalgic for it. "And then everything happened all at once—at least, that's how I remember them telling it. Everyone in our village had been on pretty good terms with the outer landers during the cease-fire, and they told me everything just felt wrong when the soldiers were forced away from the borders."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The guy we're going to see might know something," Tenma added, clasping his hands behind his head. "He wasn't there when the council was replaced, and officially he's taken leave to mourn or something, but apparently he actually knew about some sort of assassination plot? Rumor says he was sacked because he didn't do anything about it, but Omi's a good guy so that's probably all talk."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That kind of... sounded familiar, actually. It made Juza think of Autumn Troupe's first play, and Godza's attempts to sabotage them. Taichi had grown oddly quiet when Tenma had started talking about everything, and Juza knew him well enough to recognize the guilt on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's almost about noon, I think," Tsumugi said, pulling their attention away from the conversation. "Is anyone ready to stop for lunch?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lunch was uneventful but full of Tsumugi talking about his interest in plants, and answering all of Juza's questions about them. Juza <em>knew</em> that candy didn't sprout from plants—not like they did here—but Tsumugi knew plenty on the topic, and it took up most of their break before they returned to the long stretch of road they were walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn't stop again until they reached the northern side of Rainbow Bridge, and Juza felt like he hadn't looked at the structure in so long... or maybe it wasn't that long at all? The days all seemed to blur together, but Juza wasn't sure if that was the dream or the concussion messing with his sense of time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, it's no wonder it wasn't working." Misumi was fiddling with the symbols at the base of the pillar, using the corner of a protractor to clean something dark out of the grooves. It didn't look like dirt—at least not dirt from nearby—but it wasn't long before the bridge flickered again and settled back into what must have been its full vibrancy. It was noticeably more vivid than when Juza had tried to cross it from the south. "The triangle was all covered up!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm glad it wasn't something more complicated," Tsumugi said, testing the stability with his foot. Juza had to tell himself that the sound of the rushing waters was absolutely all in his head. He didn't get close enough to peek over and see if that was true or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Misumi, I'd like you to test this one out too." Tsumugi continued, nodding to himself. "Go to the other side, and let Kazunari and Citron know the bridge is back to normal. I'll mention it to Omi, and see if he'd be willing to check up on it from time to time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aye!"</span>
</p><p>-----</p><p>
  <span>The rest of their journey took them to nightfall with just enough sunlight left to catch sight of a cozy-looking cottage settled before several vast fields of plants. Peanuts, if he was getting their next destination right. The cottage was on the larger side; the kind of place that looked more like a bed and breakfast, or a lodge of some sort. The lights were on, and they had to pass through a white chocolate picket fence to reach the building itself. "Peanut Brittle House" was painted in simple lines on the sign above the door as Juza stepped inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one was in the immediate room, but it only took a moment for someone to call out to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on in!" Came Omi's voice, accompanying the smell of something delicious. "I'll be with you in just a moment!" The place was just as cozy inside as it was out, predominantly colored in warm browns and tans. Several of the surfaces looked like they were made out of hardened caramel sheets—or peanut brittle before it was broken into pieces. What was probably self-taken photographs were settled on the walls, adding a pop of color and brightening up the room with ease. It was just the kind of place he thought Omi might have if he didn't room with Taichi back at Mankai.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omi from a well-lit room by one of those double swinging half doors that led to what was probably the kitchen. "Ah, Tsumugi!" He smiled. "I heard the Gingerbread Patrol was passing through, but I hadn't expected to see you for another day or two."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There have been some incidents that needed our attention, so we weren't able to take our usual pace." Tsumigi pulled out a coin pouch as he spoke. "Do you have any open rooms? Our party is larger than usual, but I have enough coin to cover all of us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's okay!" Muku quickly shifted his backpack around, reaching for one of the front pockets where he had probably put his own cash. "Juza and I have money, you don't have to pay for us Captain!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tell you what," Omi checked a thin book left open on the front desk. He wrote a couple of things down, counted them out, and grabbed three keys off the hooks on the wall. "You guys go get settled in your rooms, and we can discuss who's paying what after dinner. I'm trying out some recipes for the Celebration coming up, and I could use the feedback."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dinner was a delicious red curry and peanut soup. There were other things in it too—two types of bread and salad of some sort—but Juza was more focused on eating it and the croutons in it to hear too much more of the recipe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, why are you guys heading to the castle, anyway?" Tenma asked when a lull hit the conversation. Juza was contemplating how many of the chocolate chip peanut butter bars the others were going to want to eat so he could eat the rest, and nearly missed the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We need to talk to the King," Muku said, Juza finally giving up on his calculations and taking two bars from the plate. "Some of the things my cousin remembers I've never heard of before. We think the King might have someone working for him or know someone who can help us figure out what's going on."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah?" Taichi leaned forward a bit, grabbing a bar for himself. "What kind of things? Wait, you don't think it's because of you hitting your head during the avalanche, do you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Juza shook his head as he finished off one of the bars. "It was like this before we reached the mountains. Avalanche didn't change that." It changed other things he was trying not to think about—a feat he accomplished by polishing off another sweet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know if it's a great idea to visit the castle right now." Omi gathered the bowls and took them into the kitchen proper, depositing them before returning with another pitcher of ice water. "I was discussing the menu with Matsukawa, and he let it slip that something's not right with the King. He didn't say <em>what</em> exactly, but I got the impression that his highness may be sick. I was thinking of heading out a bit early with a light broth in case it might help, but I'm not even sure if they'll let me into the castle with how tight it sounds like they're keeping security."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That... didn't sound good. The whole plan hinged on Juza completing the game, and reaching the end of the path. He'd followed it pretty faithfully, all things considered. He didn't take any shortcuts or jumps, but the king being sick? Would it still count as winning if he just got to the end, or did he have to meet each character from the game?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And what if they weren't characters, and this was all in his head? He would have put Muku in harm's way for <em>nothing</em>—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It certainly sounds unusual, but it <em>is</em> that time of year..." Tsumugi murmured, his soft voice cutting off Juza's train of thought. "I can take the soup with me if you'd like. I've known the King since his days in the Royal Guard; I'm sure I can get someone to at least pass it along to him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Would you? I'd appreciate that. I'll still make my way over early, of course, but there will be a container waiting for you before you go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the overall exhaustion that was still hovering just inside his peripheral, Juza found the questions that had been staved off by headache for the better part of the day were easing into his mind with persistence. He was tired, he wanted to <em>sleep</em>; but therein lied the problem, didn't it? If he was dreaming, why would he need sleep? And how had he gotten so hurt, or felt so hungry, or, or—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His sigh was audible, but quiet enough that it didn't wake Muku on the other side of the room. There was no reason to worry him any more than he already was. No, Juza was going to figure this out as fast as he could so that Muku could focus on the celebration once they got there and enjoy himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He needed some air. Careful not to wake his cousin, he slips from their room and heads out to the back porch of the property. There were some porch swings he'd seen out there before, and if the breeze from earlier in the day hadn't carried on into the night, he could make his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I just... I think about back then, and I get this uncomfortable squirming in my chest—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Easy there, easy. Breathe with me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Juza stopped dead in his tracks. That was... he didn't want to interrupt their serious talk, but he was already kind of in enough light that they'd be able to see him if they turned around. They hadn't yet, which was good. If he could just... back up quietly...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Have you told them?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not yet... I want to, I do! It's just—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The creak of the wood beneath his weight was probably the loudest sound he'd ever heard in his life. Omi caught sight of him first, but only by a second before Taichi barreled on into some sort of explination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"J-Juza! What—I, I mean, how are you—how much did you hear, um, because i-I can explain, and—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Taichi," Omi placed a steadying hand on Taichi's shoulder, but it had no effect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was—I was under orders. I didn't like it, but I had to, and—and I really regret all of it, and I'm w-working really hard to earn this—this second chance, and I—"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Juza sighed, which wasn't as annoyed as his face was probably making him look. Taichi's mouth closed audibly. Man, he really hoped he hadn't just chipped a tooth. Juza could feel Omi’s unreadable gaze as he made his way out to lean along the banister with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look," he started after a moment. "This is about the assassination plot Tenma mentioned earlier, right? You don't have to explain anything to me. I'm not your coworker, I don't even... remember if I'm supposed to feel affected by it, so you can think of me as a free pass or whatever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Besides, you did a real good job of convincin' me to head down the mountain when you knew all I wanted to do was go in the opposite direction and look for my cousin. If you didn't care about being better, you wouldn't have done that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does—" Taichi had tears in his eyes and Juza was instantly overcome with panic. He glanced at Omi for a moment to make sure he wasn't going to kill him or scold him or something, but all he saw was a warm, relieved smile. Taichi started to talk again with a wobbly voice, and Juza thanked Omi in his head for being no help whatsoever. "Does this mean we're—we're cool?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cool? God, what... what was the thing Taichi did with Kazunari sometimes, it went something like...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Juza held out a loose fist, and Taichi lit up behind a choked-back sob and a bright smile before knocking their knuckles together in a fist bump.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just—" He cleared his throat and looked back out at the fields of peanut plants. The moon was in a perfect crescent, tilted into a lopsided smile. "Make sure you tell them, alright? You'll feel better once it's all off your chest."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I—I will," Taichi wiped his eyes dry, and it was like his whole demeanor had changed. Yeah, he'd feel better once everyone knew. "Tsumugi knows, at least—and the Princess!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Haha, is he still working you to the bone?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ahh, but it's worth it! Though he hasn't asked for help in a while..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Would you like me to pack up some cookies for the road? I have some peanut butter blossoms cooling in the kitchen."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I have one?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taichi laughed a little, but Omi handed two over without hesitation; almost as if he'd expected to be running into Juza sometime that night. If it got him free cookies, Juza wasn't going to question it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Welcome back, everyone! Sorry for the radio silence last week; I was able to get the first part of my vaccine scheduled and sort of lost track of everything else. But I'm here now, and I hope you liked the new chapter and everyone who showed up! Man, we've sure run into a bunch of characters so far, haven't we? I wonder what's going on at the castle...</p><p>Leave a comment if you want! I'd love to hear your thoughts so far!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Vandalism at Lollipop Villa</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Misumi must have arrived sometime in the dead of night because he was there at the table when Juza and Muku came in for breakfast. It was a simple enough affair, and Omi made sure they left early enough that they would reach the lollipop woods before the day was out.</p>
<p>"It's about half a day's walk, if you're quick about it," He told them over pancakes. "A more leisurely pace will still put you there before sunset, but it'll be better if you get on the road sooner rather than later."</p>
<p>The weather was nice enough. The sun peeked out behind a cloud or two as they made their way through the plains, sparsely dotted with an occasional tree or a collection of bushes. Breakfast had been filling, but Juza couldn't help grabbing a handful of Starburst and Pez off a couple of the bushes as they passed by.</p>
<p>"So, what is the Princess like?" Muku asked as they made their way into the entrance of the Lollipop Woods. There was a building off in the distance that was likely where they were headed. Most of the trees were less like trees and more like lollipops sticking out of the ground, with more lollipops sticking out of the central stick... pole? Those that were more tree-like had hard candy discs hanging from them like fruit.</p>
<p>"So cute!"</p>
<p>"Brat."</p>
<p>Tenma and Taichi spoke at the same time before giving each other a surprised look. Did Tenma know him too? Taichi had mentioned the Princess the night before, though it probably wasn't surprising if Tenma's family was as high up in society as it sounded.</p>
<p>"You both know him?" Misumi made a triangle with his fingers. "The three of you should make a triangle!"</p>
<p>"I don't know what kind of world you live in, but it must be nice." Tenma sighed. "I've met him once or twice. When I say he's a brat, I mean it; he's always telling other people what to do and questioning everything I say..."</p>
<p>"But Yuki's super nice!" Taichi shrank a little at the force of the deadpan Tenma was giving him. "I mean, yeah he can be a bit bossy, but he knows what he wants when it comes to sewing! He's really good at it!"</p>
<p>"I mean obviously, I'm not saying he's bad!" Tenma threw up his hands. "He's really good at sewing, like, super good, but he needs to lose the attitude! Being a great seamst—er? Tailor?—whatever. Point is, he could weave his hair together to make the softest fabric imaginable, and it still wouldn't make up for how rude he is."</p>
<p>"Yeah... his hair is pretty soft, isn't it?"</p>
<p>Tenma looked about to say something, but a scream tore through the forest, and they all took off towards the only building that they could see in the distance. Muku easily took the lead, but Misumi and Tenma were the ones who managed to knock the door in, startling an already panicking maid. She must have recognized who they were because she pointed up the stairs before Muku helped her to one of a handful of chairs in a lounge of some sort. Tsumugi silently motioned to the Gingerbread Patrol, who nodded in unison before splitting up and heading for different sections of the villa. Tsumugi himself headed up the stairs, and Juza was quick to follow after him. As</p>
<p>"Princess?" Juza heard Tsumugi call into a room before moving on to the next one, and then another. "I'm Tsumugi Tsukioka, the Captain of the Gingerbread Patrol. Please say or do something to let us know where you are." Juza didn't find any on the side that he'd taken, and by the time the Captain had reached the final room, the rest of the squad was joining them.</p>
<p>The final room was grand and reminded Juza of some sort of chapel, though he doubted he was right in this assumption. It was mostly in the windows—the clear sugar glass was cut into shapes that pieced together to form a picture of a figure in a dress walking through the Lollipop Woods. Lining the walls were dressers and storage containers of white and pink hard candy, with a large, white chocolate table settled off-center in the room. There were a couple of those sewing mannequins too, but only three were pulled away from the wall were bare, a few strips of torn fabric hanging from them.</p>
<p>Yuki was easy to spot because he was sitting right there, his back to the door and eyes squarely ahead. He hadn't even glanced their way when they came in; he just kept staring at the shredded piles of fabric settled onto the foor. Tsumugi and Tenma locked eyes and nodded, and Tsumugi headed back for the front of the villa, motioning for Misumi to follow him. </p>
<p>"Hey," Tenma called as he approached. "You hurt at all?"</p>
<p>"All that work..." Yuki's voice was soft, clearly not paying them a lick of attention. Torn sections of what must have once been something were held loosely in his hands.</p>
<p>Taichi was a little less cautious in his approach, going so far as to reach out with a comforting hand for the Princess' shoulder.</p>
<p>"You okay, Yuk—" Yuki slapped it away with an audible smack.</p>
<p>"<em>Don't. Touch me</em>."</p>
<p>"Oi, take it easy!" Tenma rolled his eyes at the glare he received. "You're the one who screamed! We ran all the way out here to make sure you hadn't died or something, the least you could do is say thank you!"</p>
<p>"Get out."</p>
<p>"Excuse me!?"</p>
<p>Yuki was on his feet in seconds, pushing them—but especially Tenma—out the door with each syllable. "I! Said! Get! Out!"</p>
<p>The slam of the door behind them resonated throughout the entire building.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>Mid-morning rolled into the early afternoon with a somberness Juza was unsure of what to do with. No one had been able to get Yuki to respond through the door, much less come out, so everyone had gathered in the parlor room. One of the maids had brewed them tea while the available staff settled in and explained what they believed had transpired.</p>
<p>"Well, it all started with the Sweet Treats Festival. His Highness the Princess was selected by the Queen—"</p>
<p>"Oh, you should have seen him when he got the call! I don't think he's ever been so excited—or so nervous!"</p>
<p>"Right?! He immediately dropped all of his projects and wouldn't stop sketching for days!"</p>
<p>"We were a little worried, but can you blame him? Designing for the King and Queen!"</p>
<p>"Had to wait for him to lose track of his pencils before we could even <em>think</em> about suggesting a nap—"</p>
<p>"He was so surprised when they came to visit, too!"</p>
<p>"Oh yes, the Queen was so kind, and handsome..."</p>
<p>"And the King! Oh gosh, how could I forget!"</p>
<p>"He was rather awkward, wasn't he?"</p>
<p>"Yes, yes he was—but he was kind of sweet, don't you think?"</p>
<p>The maids went on with enough gossip between the two of them to make Juza's head spin—but The Gingerbread Patrol was able to put together the jist of what happened.</p>
<p>With the Sweet Treats Festival coming up, Yuki had been tasked with creating garments for the King, the Queen, and himself to wear as the royal court during the festivities. He'd been working on the task non-stop for months, making sure every minute detail was just so. The finishing touches were being placed just the day prior, and Yuki had even gone the extra mile to secure the room with an ornate key that he wore on his person at all times.</p>
<p>The Gingerbread Patrol had already canvased the grounds looking for an intruder, and no signs of a break-in had turned up. They hadn't been able to check the sewing room yet, but with Yuki locked inside, there was no way to check the actual crime scene for clues.</p>
<p>"Man this really sucks," Taichi sighed, lying halfway on the kitchen island. It was late, but everyone in the villa had been questioned at this point except the Princess himself. Quickly scrawled notes were scattered on just about every available surface while they looked at a list of staff and slowly marked them off the list of suspects. "It's nice of 'em to let us stay the night, but I was really hoping we could talk to Yuki..."</p>
<p>"He'll have to come out of there at some point," Tenma sighed, pouring himself some coffee. "Even if he tries to sew himself into a stupor, there's only so much he can do before the hunger hits his fingers."</p>
<p>"Yeah, Yuki's pretty picky when it comes to craftsmanship..."</p>
<p>It was silent for a while as they poured over the notes. Juza hadn't added any useful commentary—he didn't know enough about the people here or the area to say much—but so far, the Gingerbread Patrol had managed to rule out all of the castle staff. There was only one other person on the suspect board, but they didn't know what this person looked like or how they acted; their only crimes were terrible timing and not being available for questioning.</p>
<p>"it's gotta be whoever this Lord Haruto is," Taichi circled his name on the paper.</p>
<p>"But if he was just a visitor, it could be bad." Misumi fiddled with a protractor, spinning it on his fingertip and catching it in the air before it fell. "We should find him first, and ask his side of the story!"</p>
<p>"I know, I just—I stayed here for a while, yeah? I know <em>all</em> of the staff. They wouldn't do something like this, much less to Yuki."</p>
<p>"Have you heard of this guy, Tenma?" Juza asked as he looked up from the papers. He'd been staring at a list of crossed-out names for so long that they'd started to meld together. "You're some sort of big shot, yeah?"</p>
<p>"I guess," Tenma sighed with a shrug. "But I haven't heard of anyone by this name. And it's not like Yuki's been a Princess for very long, so it's possible that he just assumed it was someone he hadn't gotten the chance to meet yet."</p>
<p>"Is there a chance he's just a super secretive noble?" Taichi asked, but Tenma shook his head.</p>
<p>"Trust me, my family does a lot of networking. If this guy was legit, I'd know." He paused to take a drink, only to find his cup was empty. The annoyance was clear in his posture as he refilled his cup. "Though it doesn't change that Yuki's got like, no time to figure all of this sherbet out."</p>
<p>"Could we all help?" Juza said from his seat. Taichi sat up with more energy than before—as if the idea hadn't occurred to him until just now. Tenma looked less enthused about the idea.</p>
<p>"... It's worth a shot," He sighed, nodding in Taichi's direction. "I'll let you be the one to bring it up to him."</p>
<p>"That won't be necessary."</p>
<p>Yuki walked with his head held high, marching over to Tenma and shoving a sewing kit into his hands. Muku was standing at the entrance of the kitchen with a small smile on his face. He waved a little when Juza caught his gaze. "You're a hack, but you're not terrible, so you'll work on my outfit."</p>
<p>"Hey!"</p>
<p>Yuki handed a kit to Juza as well. Just how many of these things did he have? "I don't know where your skills lie, so you'll work with Taichi on the king's garment. It has a lot of straight lines."</p>
<p>"I want to help!" Misumi practically jumped up from his seat. "Are there any triangles?"</p>
<p>"No. You can work with the hack."</p>
<p>"<em>Hey!</em>"</p>
<p>Tsumugi must have heard the commotion because he appeared in the room pretty quickly after that, a relieved look falling onto his face at the sight of the Princess. "Your Royal Highness." He bowed his head in greeting. "I would like to investigate your sewing room for any clues the culprit might have left behind."</p>
<p>"Fine—but afterward, you're helping too." Yuki grabbed a couple of the cookies from a plate on the counter and headed back out the door. "Come on, Muku. You convinced me to do this, so you'll help me with the Queen's outfit."</p>
<p>"Hey!" Tenma called out. "The Captian hasn't looked at the crime scene yet!"</p>
<p>Yuki rolled his eyes. "What do you think I've been doing all afternoon, sitting around and moping? I have to remake three complex outfits <em>from scratch</em>. If Haruto thinks he's going to get away with this after all those remarks on my craftsmanship, <em>he's got another thing coming</em>."</p>
<p>Muku placed a hand on Yuki's arm, and the tension around him uncoiled just a bit. "You still wanted pancakes, right Yuki?"</p>
<p>The Princess sighed and took a pointed seat at the kitchen island. "Yes yes, just... make them good. With blueberries."</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki led them back to the sewing room right after they filled themselves full of delicious pancakes. Muku had managed to make the whole affair drag on long enough that Tsumugi and Misumi could thoroughly investigate the sewing room for anything that might point towards a culprit—though it was a bit of a moot point with how sure Yuki was that it was this Haruto character. He had only been the Princess' guest for two nights, but Yuki made it sound like he'd quickly overstayed his welcome.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He said I should add more rhinestones. I should have thrown him out for that offense //alone//."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The good news was that Yuki was meticulous. If this Haruto really was the one who had destroyed all of Yuki's progress, he hadn't been thorough enough to get at the patterning pieces Yuki had placed in storage once he'd moved onto the finalized garments. (The name really seemed familiar, but Juza just couldn't place it. Maybe it just stuck out to him because they had been talking about the guy a lot the past 24 hours.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza didn't know enough about sewing to guess how much time this was going to save them, but he got to work as soon as the pattern pieces were in his hands. He remembered enough from having to help out during Autumn's first play that he felt like he kind of knew what he was doing,  but Taichi correcting him here or there certainly helped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza kept working, kind of in a daze as he cut out the pieces of a shirt and cape. He was pretty sure everything was pinned close enough together, and he hadn't even poked his fingers as much as he had the last time he remembered helping with this sort of thing. Taichi had gotten almost a full pair of pants sewn together, and it looked like Tenma and Misumi had managed to finish up the main body of a dress. Yuki had a bunch of pieces pinned to one of the mannequins, and while they didn't look like they were sewen together yet, he didn't doubt that the outfit would come together in time. Muku and Tsumugi were working on what looked like small, fiddley details of what was likely another part of the Queen's outfit, and it was only Muku yawning for the third time in five minutes that pulled Yuki out of his process enough to consider going to sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's been a stressful day," He sighed, still looking at the garment he had pinned and poking a few more in so some of the cloth fell in a certain way. "And as much as I would prefer to just... go until it's done, I know we'll be more efficient if we get some sleep now. C'mon, Hana and Yuri should have rooms ready for you by now."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And here we go! Next chapter up, and we're just a little closer to the end of the board. This one got kind of cut in half an elaborated on since Yuki and Tenma decided they hadn't argued enough half way through editing. I hope I did them justice! (I hope I've done everybody justice)</p>
<p>Feel free to leave a kudos and a comment, and I'll see you next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Looking for Life at the Lighthouse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><b>Content Warning:</b> Just a heads up; there's an implied suicide attempt at the end of the fic—specifically in the last sentence.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"I tried to call the castle," Yuki said sometime after breakfast. They'd been working in the sewing room for a little while at that point, and Juza was just trying to be a bit more aware of things than he'd been earlier in the day. Trying to eat the sugar glass of the dining room table hadn’t been his best moment. Luckily, Muku was keeping an eye on him, so his attempts to devour the furniture that morning had been fruitless. "No matter which number I use or how long I wait, I can’t get through. I’d contact that stingy old man directly, but I’m not even sure he knows how to <em>use</em> a phone half the time."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hm, that <em>is</em> a problem," Tsumugi murmured, setting down what Juza thought might have been a sleeve? "Give me a moment, I have a secure line that might be picked up faster."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next hour was filled with many pricked fingers and Yuki's meticulous eye scrutinizing every stitch they made. Juza knew his... seams could be better—was that what they were called? Seams?—But Yuki was fair in his corrections and showed him how to fix any mistakes he made, which were pretty minor, all things considered. The only one who really got any flack was Tenma, but arguing was just how Tenma and Yuki got along. It almost took their minds off of how long it was taking for the captain to come back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can't reach anyone." Tsumugi strode into the room with a concerned look on his face. "If you would permit me, Your Royal Highness, I think it would be best for me to depart for the castle. I can get there quicker on my own, and I can let them know about what has transpired here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki took a moment to look over their progress. Juza wasn’t sure where they stood—he hadn’t seen what the originals looked like or how much Yuki was compromising for the sake of completion, but even he could tell the clothes weren’t exactly wearable yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... Fine, but you’re going to call me as soon as you get there. I need to know how close to the original deadline I'm taking this."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tsumugi set out immediately, giving them a time frame for when they should expect his message. "Tenma, you're in charge while I'm gone," He said while packing up his supplies. "I know you can do this."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki waited until Tsumugi was at the treeline before dragging them all back to the sewing room to continue working. Juza didn’t really think he was helping much at all with how slowly he was going, but Taichi was convinced that Yuki was sleeping easier knowing he wasn’t all on his own. “Last time I was here, he had me working on <em>so much</em>. He was super snippy about it, but—I dunno, he just seemed calmer about the whole thing? Less stressed”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhm,” Muku added as they settled in for bed one night. “I’m glad Yuki isn’t as worried as he was when we first arrived,” Juza didn't understand Yuki all that much, but he knew he was dedicated to his craft, and it was pretty impressive that he’d managed to direct them all to a point where everything was starting to look less like a pile of fabric more like actual clothes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things were going well, and they were making good progress. The only problem was that four days had passed, and still there was no word from Tsumugi.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"He should have contacted us by now," Tenma sighed, taking another look at the bandages on his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Should we go after him?" Taichi was tapping his first two fingers on the counter. He didn't look <em>nervous</em>, but it was a thing he knew Taichi did when he was. Tenma shook his head, but he didn't seem completely convinced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"No, we need to stay here and make sure whoever ruined the Princess' hard work doesn't come back and do it again."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Tsumugi is a good captain," Misumi added from the other side of the table. "He knows how to take care of himself, so everything comes up triangles."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza wasn't sure if that one was closer to actually making sense or if he had just been spending enough time with Misumi to just kind of get what he was trying to say, but he also had a lot of faith in the captain. Tsumugi wasn't the type of guy to make hasty decisions, though that didn’t make silence from him or the castle any less worrying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Well," Yuki strode into the room, counting each of them again and chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I think that's all I need then. You're free to go."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?" Taichi practically jumped out of his seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But Yuki, there's still so much left to do..." Muku said after.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"And it's all things I can't expect amateurs to have any success at. This is for the <em>Royal Family</em>, I can't just skate by because I'm the Princess now!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you need help with the fitting?” Taichi asked. Yuki gave him a withering look that made him quiet as he continued with the sentence. “I-I mean, I know it’s only yours you can work on—but you can’t fit your own dress... can you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can, and I have. Like I said, your services are no longer required.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, but these are for the <em>Royal Family</em>,” Tenma said from his seat, throwing Yuki’s words back at him and matching the Princess’ withering glare with marked defiance. “You don’t know how long it’ll be before they need to be done, and the captain could call any minute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. “I can handle it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what if we leave, and that guy comes back and destroys the outfits again? Or worse, what if someone gets hurt this time?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That won't happen. What needs to happen is you need to get to the castle—"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tenma stood quickly, the mugs on the counter clacking together with the force behind his hand on the table. "Can you be sure? Can you be <em>one hundred percent positive</em> that we’re not going to walk out that door, and the guy who did this isn’t going to come back for round two?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki narrowed his eyes. "Listen here, hack; I'm not going to let some <em>two-bit noble</em> ruin all the work that's gone into these outfits so close to the deadline! Just <em>get out of here</em> already and go stop your captain from getting lost in the Woods, or the Coves, or wherever your little shortcut took him before I <em>throw you out myself</em>."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, we don't need to worry about Tsumugi!" Misumi's tone was far too light for the argument at hand, easily cutting the tension with a proverbial knife. "He'll find his way to the castle no problem."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, Misumi's right," Taichi nodded. "The captain’s pretty resourceful. He wouldn't have gone by himself if he wasn't prepared to do so."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Besides, he gave his orders, and I for one intend to keep to them." Tenma smiled at this. "You can be worried all you want, but we're not leaving you high and dry."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki was quiet for a moment before letting out a huff and looking away. "You're impossible. That’s not what I was saying, but if you <em>insist</em> on being a nuisance, then knock yourselves out."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That's great and all," Juza said around a cookie before swallowing it fully. "But Muku and I should probably get going."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh? What’s your hurry? Surely you want to freeload like the rest of them."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We're not patrol, though."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We were already heading towards the castle when we ran into everyone,” Muku spoke up from his seat next to Taichi. “And Juchan’s right, we really shouldn't linger too much longer. But—but if we see the Captain, we'll definitely remind him to contact you when he can!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, and we’ll call, too." Juza was sure phones existed, though he hadn’t seen anyone with a cell phone just yet. Tsumugi had been sure he could contact them when he reached his destination, so maybe it was just landlines.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki stayed quiet a moment longer before sighing with his shoulders and waving his hand dismissively. "Fine! Fine, but—You'll be calling me as soon as you're able, Muku. I require frequent updates."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Y-yes!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While they couldn't take it with them, Yuki did show them a map of Candy Land before they left, pointing out places they could stop and rest if they needed to. "This is the Queen's Lighthouse," he said, pointing to a stretch of beach following the Ice-Cream Sea. "No one's ever there, but you should be able to find a phone there to call me with. Make sure you update me before you go any further. And be <em>careful</em> out there; the seas are rough this time of year."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yuki had said that the Queen's Lighthouse wouldn't be that much farther along the path, which was comforting with how far the fog had rolled in. It was tinged pink, and unlike any fog Juza had ever seen, though kind of reminded him of cotton candy—and the stuff he’d seen through Homare’s telescope what felt like forever ago. Yuki hadn't looked happy to be seeing them off, but Muku had given him a reassuring enough smile that he didn't argue too much when they headed out. The Princess had managed to keep them there until after lunch, after all; which would put them at the lighthouse before the sun was even close to setting. Juza wondered if they'd actually end up camping out on the road this time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was a thought that left him pretty quickly in lieu of focusing on their current plight. The fog wasn’t too terrible a problem, but it made their path hard to see. What was really causing the grief was the weather. Almost as soon as they left the thinning tree line, the wind picked up. The sound of water crashing up into the short faded into existence, and Juza took his cousin's hand for good measure. If they got separated, and one of them fell into the ocean, there was no telling if they'd find the shore with their vision obscured this thick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Regardless of how loud the storm-riled seas got, Juza still couldn't <em>see</em> it. The rain hadn't hit—and there was going to be rain; he'd seen the clouds from the Princess’ villa in the distance, and they had been dark enough for Yuki to argue about them staying one more night—but there was still moisture in the air, and he knew they could only be out in the open for so long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was right. As soon as the fog surrounded them completely, the trees bent with the force of the winds. "We need to get out of this storm!" Muku yelled, trying to shield his face as the sudden rain came down in earnest. There wasn't any easy shelter anywhere, and then there was something; a light cutting through the fog. Juza gripped his cousin tighter and moved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Queen’s Lighthouse was tall and textured like a waffle cone. It probably was, but Juza was more focused on getting the door unlocked and pushing his cousin into the relative safety of the building. The second they got inside, it occurred to him that the door was already unlocked. Weird. The sound of the rain hitting heavy on the outside of the building swelled. Juza was just glad that they weren’t out in it; honestly, the timing was just a little <em>too</em> perfect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hello?" Muku called into the lighthouse, removing his shoes and placing them by the door. Juza followed suit, making three sets of shoes settled on the mat. Weird. "We're sorry to intrude!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lights were all out, and the storm had done a great job of making it look like it was midnight instead of mid-afternoon. "Didn’t Yuki say no one comes out here?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“His Royal Majesty did say that might be the case...” It took his cousin a minute to find the light, but he did, after a moment. The living area was clean, with several pots of flowers delicately arranged on dark furniture. It was probably the least candy looking of all the places they’d stayed so far, but closer inspection showed that several of the flowers were candied, and the furniture smelled like chocolate.  “You’re probably right, but there were shoes by the door. I’d rather check, just to make sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bottom floor had a kitchen, but nothing else of note, so they headed up the stairway, curving in a spiral with the wall. There were a couple of floors as they headed up, the most notable being a room filled with a bunch of vials and beakers—science stuff. There was an entire room full of flowers, too; not even the thick sugar glass of the door that led into it could keep the floral smell from slipping out just a little. Further up were rooms with equipment that neither of them recognized and a bedroom—it looked recently lived in, too. Weird. At the end of the spiral was a trap door that opened up into an open observation deck that looked out over the dark waters of the turbulent ocean.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The winds were harsher so close to the shore, and the railing was slick in his grasp as he climbed up. It was dangerous out here, and he doubted anyone would actually come out into this weather, but the light was flashing. This place was empty, but everything just seemed off—and he just needed to make sure that if there <em>was</em> someone here, that—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Someone was standing out on the railing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He yelled, but they didn’t seem to hear him over the winds. The person just... stared out into the storm, into the ocean waves crashing so far below. They were just inside the covered part of the space, the lamp lighting them up again the darkness with each rotation. It was a long and quiet moment where Juza considered yelling for them again, to point out where the railing stopped and started up again in front of them, a break just big enough for someone to slip through with enough weight—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then they moved. They took a listless step out into the storm, and then another, their arm reaching up and out as if entranced, aimed directly for the gap in the railing.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And here's the next chapter! I had intended to get it out yesterday, but the Osomatsu Movie devastated me and I couldn't function for the rest of the evening. But that doesn't matter—what matters is that we have reached the Ice-Cream Sea! If anyone ever played that 1996 Candy Land game, making ice-cream sundaes was my go-to activity.</p>
<p>Drop a Kudos, leave a comment! They make me smile, and I'd love to know your thoughts!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Piecing Together the Puzzle, and Pie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Someone was standing out on the railing.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Hey!” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He yelled, but they didn’t seem to hear him over the winds. The person just... stared out into the storm, into the ocean waves crashing so far below. They were just inside the covered part of the space, the lamp lighting them up again the darkness with each rotation. It was a long and quiet moment where Juza considered yelling for them again, to point out where the railing stopped and started up again in front of them, a break just big enough for someone to slip through with enough weight—</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And then they moved. They took a listless step out into the storm, and then another, their arm reaching up and out as if entranced, aimed directly for the gap in the railing.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Juza didn't think. One minute he was halfway through the observation deck's trap door, and the next he had the person by the wrist and was yanking them back into the safety of the lighthouse. They fell like a limp doll, and Juza had to keep from dropping them on the ground all together—or down the stairs. He'd forgotten there were stairs, and it was really lucky that Muku was able to catch them when the person slipped out of his waterlogged grip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Juchan!" Muku was holding pretty tightly to the banister, which was good; this guy hadn't stopped being dead weight just because they were inside. It sounded like his cousin was about to say something before he got an armful of person. "Oh gosh, they're soaked!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"They almost fell off the railing." He closed the door tightly behind them, turning the lock and checking the door a couple of times for good measure. It was hard to catch the lock with his fingers, what with the storm seeping into his bones, but he didn't stop until he knew it was locked. "Sorry for just... throwin' him at you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's okay, I caught him, after all! Here, help me get him downstairs."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Carrying someone so unresponsive all the way down the staircase was a bit of a process, but they managed. There was a stool with a high back that they settled him into before proceeding to... well, not wake him up, exactly. His eyes were already open, he just wasn't responding. Juza stepped away for a minute to remove his waterlogged jacket and retrieve some towels from a linen closet on the second floor. Did a room count as a floor? He returned to find his cousin waving his hand in the man's face in an attempt to catch his attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can't believe it," Muku murmured. "It's really Queen Frostine in the flesh..." He took the towel from Juza and did his best to respectfully pat the man dry. There wasn't any force to the motion, but it was enough to jostle something from the guy's hand. Juza grabbed for it, but his hands were still damp. It slipped from his fingers and hit the ground with a crash.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scent that came from the vial was potent—flowery and incredibly strong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My my," Even when cloudy, Azuma's voice had a teasing smile in it; Juza could see the man's eyes clearing when he looked back up at him. Good. It was kind of creepy seeing him so despondent. "I wasn't expecting guests. Did you come out of the storm? Let me get you something to—"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza gently pushed him back down in his seat. "Broken glass," He said. "You have a broom?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah. Yes, I believe it's in the kitchen."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither Muku nor Azuma had moved by the time Juza returned with the broom—Muku did, however, have a furious blush on his face and his eyes were practically glimmering in awe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You-you really think so?!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I do," Azuma smiled. He had one of the towels wrapped around his shoulders, though he still looked pretty waterlogged. Little puddles were forming on the floor around the chair. "You have the perfect disposition, and you've come to my rescue once already."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The excitement in his cousin's eyes softened. Juza wished he'd caught onto the beginning of that conversation so he could piece together what he needed to say to help Muku feel better about himself. "That was more Juchan than me, I just helped a carry you..."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Then I suppose I have two noble knights to thank—or a pair of princes, even! It's been quite some time since we've had a prince come through, I'm sure the castle would love to welcome both of you."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he wouldn't have to say anything after all. "You can take this one, Muku." Juza swept the glass into the dustpan, making sure to get every small shard. It wouldn't be good if someone stepped on one and all this oil got into their cut. "You're better at all that prince stuff than I am."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he should have grabbed a rag first. The glass was all together for the most part, but he just ended up smearing around the oil the more he tried to get it into the pile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I can take care of the rest, if you please," Azuma said, still perched on his chair. "It's only orchid essence, not dangerous in the least; though if you've gotten all the glass, I'd like to change into a dry set of clothes."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was fair. Juza took the glass to the kitchen, and by the time he had returned, Azuma was soaking up some of the oil with a handkerchief—several handkerchiefs. Muku looked like he was massaging a couple of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azuma seemed fine now, but Juza was keeping a close eye on him. With the storm going on outside, neither he nor Muku could continue, and honestly, Juza wasn't sure if Azuma should be left alone. He got changed into something dry while his cousin made stir-fry from the things they found the fridge—Muku insisted, and with the storm going so strongly right outside the windows, they weren't going anywhere else for the rest of the night—and every time the conversation fell quiet, he would catch the Queen staring listlessly outside. He made sure to bring it up while they ate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Juchan," Muku cautioned. "I don't—I don't know if the troubles of the Queen are any of our business."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Probably not, but he did almost walk off the lighthouse and into the ocean." Which had been kind of scary and not something he had thought too hard about until he was changing out of his wet clothes. He took their empty plates and dumped them in the sink for later. "We should get an explanation for that, at least."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The tension filled in around the silence. That wasn't entirely unusual—he was used to tension, but this one was different than the kind right before a fight. There wasn't any violence to this; less frenzied movements and more... wading through a pool of thick syrup.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it lasted a while, too; long enough, at least, that not having anything to say—or someone to hit, in most cases—was throwing him for a loop. So, instead of letting the quiet stretch, he did the dishes and put any leftovers away, and when it continued, he went and rummaged through their backpacks settled up against the far wall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Juchan?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not there—"Yeah?"—no, not there either, which pocket was it in again? Was that a jar of salt? <em>Two</em> jars of salt?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What are you looking for?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What's... MgSO4?" NaCl was definitely salt, he remembered that one from Junior High—but he wasn't sure about the other one. The handwriting was super dramatic looking, too; whoever wrote it definitely spent a lot of time making sure it looked like that. He set the jars aside and continued digging.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh! Um, I think Lord Licorice said it was Epsom? He said if I mixed them together, I could make smelling salts."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yeah, that made sense. If Homare was worried about his concussion—or rather, if Muku was worried and Homare noticed—smelling salts weren't a bad idea. If he started to lose focus, they would give Muku enough time to find help.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, there it was! Juza pulled the container out with a grin. He wasn't sure what kind of magic Kazunari and Citron used on the pie, but it looked like it had been packaged up an hour ago instead of however long it had been since they had helped the two of them with their baking. It was even still the perfect temperature for a cold night like this one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is that a gingerbread plum pie?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I forgot we had that." Muku smiled as Juza set the pie down on the counter. "Kazu and Citron wanted us to take it to the castle, but I think you've got the right idea, Juchan. This is the perfect weather for one of their pies."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it was delicious too, just as tasty as if they were settled in ribbon candy seats in front of Citron and Kazunari's caravan. In the presence of sweets, Azuma's mood perked substantially.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's been so long since I've gotten to eat gingerbread plums," he said, taking another small bite and sighing in contentment. Juza had cut it into three big slices so that he didn't eat more than his designated third, but Muku and Azuma had cut theirs in half to save for later. "With everything going on, I was never able to stop by their caravan when they came to market."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm sure the coronation kept everyone very busy," Muku murmured between bites. "At the castle, I mean—I'm kind of surprised you're not there right now. Is it really okay for you to be away with the festeval so close?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, well." Azuma smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He was clamming up again. "With all the preparations, sometimes we just need a moment to unwind, wouldn't you agree? As strict as I am with princess training, I tell the same to Yuki all the time. In fact, I think I've gotten him to relax a little since he was first appointed."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muku stood up swiftly, the clang of his fork on the plate echoing in the open space of the great room. "Yuki wanted us to call when we arrived! Oh I'm so useless, I completely forgot!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Now now," Azuma placed a placating hand on Muku's arm and gave him a soft smile. "I'm sure Yuki will understand. Why don't you give him a call? There's a phone in the kitchen, and I should have his number written down nearby."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn't awkward to be alone with Azuma. It didn't happen too often with how many people Mankai had, but he was really good at small talk, so Juza wasn't too worried about where conversation would go now that it was happening again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It sounds like you've traveled far." Once Muku was out of sight, Azuma shifted so that he was facing Juza a bit more. "Will you be in the capital for the festival?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think so. Gotta talk to the King."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh? What business do you have with him? Perhaps I can put in a good word."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza paused at this part. It was a simple enough question, he'd answered it plenty of times before—but there was the concussion and how much he'd been sleeping lately... He could still feel the force of the avalanche as it pushed him down the mountain, could still feel the gravel underneath his fingers as he tried to find purchase along the cliff. The water still rushed past his ears when things were quiet enough that his mind went along for the ride.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... I think something's wrong with my head."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn't meant to say it. He hadn't even meant to <em>think</em> it—but it was out, it was there, and things just seemed so much more real than they should be. <em>This</em> seemed so much more real than it should be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh?" Azuma's expression shifted into a concern Juza recognised but did he <em>really</em> recognize him? Surely he'd seen the Queen before this—on TV or social media or something—so wasn't he simply piecing forgotten memories into a narrative? Everything seemed so disjointed in his head. He remembered Mankai well enough, but what about the street, or his school? How did he know he wasn't just making things up?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I remember stuff, but it's not... right." He shook his head to dislodge the information from all the rest, and while names weren't as far of a stretch, the certainty continued to elude him. Even the places he remembered were faded at the edges and moving further and further out of reach. "It's not—I think it's real, but it's not from here. And if I can't tell, how do I know It's not just some kind of fairy tale?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I see…" Azuma poked at his pie, nibbling a shred of plum off the end of his fork. "That is quite the predicament. The King is a very kind man, I'm sure he'd love to help... though I'm not certain he has the means to address your problem. Not directly, at least."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I thought if I could get to the castle that everything would just... work out, but I dunno anymore. He might know someone who can help with the..." He heaved a sigh that he could feel with his entire rib cage. "with the amnesia, at least."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"The Royal Physician would be the best bet, I think. They are quite knowledgeable when it comes to injuries, and if anyone can assist you with this, I think it would be them."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things fell quiet after that. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but more a contemplative one. The look on Azuma's face told Juza he hadn't stopped thinking about what he'd told him. Juza could relate; he hadn't stopped trying to process everything that was happening ever since his second morning waking up in Muku's guest bedroom. It was why he tried not to think at all most nights.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey Azuma."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes, Juza? What's on your mind?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sherbet, he hadn't meant to say anything. Welp, there was no going back now. "Have you ever felt like... you were in a dream? Only the dream doesn't stop? And then you start wondering if... what you thought was real is <em>actually</em> the dream, and you were just foolin' yourself?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza didn't look up from the table, just kept his eyes focused on the swirled grain of the black chocolate countertops. His question hung in the air with edges so sharp he'd cut himself on it if he so much as flinched; and his struggle against the weight in his chest kept pulling him closer to the floor. He'd asked so much of Muku, having his cousin lead him so far away from home. The only upside to this whole journey was that Muku would probably be able to enjoy STF in person for once, instead of longingly watching the festivities on TV or picking up second-hand experiences from people who passed through his shop. It wouldn't be worth all the worry Juza had caused, or all the danger he'd put them both in, but at least Muku would be starry-eyed for a little longer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Juza almost forgot he was waiting for Azuma to answer him, but that was alright; Azuma seemed to be lingering on the same page. He'd spoken so softly when he finally did answer—far softer than his usual voice, almost like he hadn't expected his words to be spoken out loud. Juza got the feeling that whatever he was saying was just as much a surprise to him as it was to Juza.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Nearly every day of my life."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muku returned before he could think too much more about what that meant, the phone cradled in his hands. "Um, the Princess would like to speak with you, Sir."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Please, Muku," Azuma smiled as he took the phone from him, not nearly so bereft as his answer had implied. "just Azuma is fine. Hello, Yuki?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muku took his seat next to Juza, picking at his pie with a worried look—different from his usual one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Muku?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"... Something's not right, Juchan," His cousin being quiet so he didn't disturb Azuma, though it probably wouldn't have changed much. He couldn't hear what the royals were talking about from where he was, but the look on the Queen's face told Juza that he was receiving the same news Muku had. "Yuki says His Highness was supposed to stay with him, but then that didn't happen? He was supposed to stay quiet about it for the Queen's safety, but the Captain of the Royal Guard didn't react like Yuki thought he should when they'd last talked, and—I don't know, Juchan, something's just not adding up."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I believe you're right, Muku."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muku squeaked, covering his hands with his mouth as Azuma walked back in. He no longer had the phone in his hand, but there was a look of pensive worry on his face. He smiled apologetically at startling them before taking his seat and staring at the remains of his pie. Things got silent again, and Juza wasn't going to be able to stand it a second time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What's going on, then?" His gut told him something wasn't right, and it had been telling him that all day; but also almost every time they ran into someone on their journey? Masumi being told they weren't going to be needed at the castle, Citron and Kazunari's large food order—hell, the whole problem at Gumdrop Mountain <em>reeked</em> of movie-level sabotage. And then there was the rumor of the King getting sick and Yuki's clothes getting destroyed... he didn't know how Azuma's whole thing tied into this, but he wouldn't doubt it if there was some kind of connection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azuma pulled out the silence long enough that when he did speak, Juza had to bite his tongue. He wasn't going to yell or anything, but he knew the guy was easily startled when things got too close for comfort; At least, that's what Omi had said when they had talked about it once(if they had actually talked about it and it wasn't just a memory he had made up).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"It's... hard to explain," Azuma's voice sounded far louder in the thick of the quiet than he had probably intended. "I have a... condition that leads me to trouble if I'm on my own for too long. It's not dangerous to anyone, not really, but it's not something many people know about. My mother's case was far stronger than mine, so most of the castle staff don't even realize it was passed down to me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Is—Is that why you almost walked into the ocean?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes. It wasn't on purpose, you must understand—there's nowhere I'd rather be than the Kingdom, but... the sea..." Azuma got a far-off look in his eyes. His voice quieted to match, and it was almost like he wasn't even there anymore.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Come with us then."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><em>That</em> seemed to pull him out of it. "I'm sorry?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We're headed to the castle, and you shouldn't be alone, so... yeah." There wasn't really a better option. He wasn't going to abandon Muku at the lighthouse, and neither he nor his cousin was the type to just let Azuma continue to settle into his loneliness. "Yeah, come with us. We'll be escorts."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"That-that's probably the safest idea," Muku added with a nod. "I would—I understand if someone so lowly as to resemble marshmallow fluff like me would be a bad escort, but! But I would be honored to h-help!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azuma was quiet for a moment in the way that didn't show what he was thinking. But he <em>was</em> thinking about it, so maybe it would all turn out alright in the end. Besides, Juza didn't want to know what leaving Azuma alone for any longer would mean. Something was... he knew something was wrong, but he didn't know enough to say exactly what. As long as he could help, it didn't much matter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Azuma's smile just then read a little bit more real, reached more of his eyes than the others had that evening. "I think having you both as my escorts makes me a lucky Queen indeed."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And another chapter done! There has been a bit of a pattern I've followed with this story, but I feel this whole spot is kind of where it starts to stretch. All of the plot is coming together! Something's going on, and Juza doesn't know what it is!</p>
<p>Poor Juza doesn't know a lot of things at this point though, I'm sure that concussion back at the Gumdrop Mountains didn't help.</p>
<p>Leave a comment, drop a Kudos! I'd love to see what you liked, or where you think all of this is going!</p>
<p>Until next time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>